Nigerian Navy takes delivery of UK warship, HMS Trent

The Nigerian Navy has taken delivery of a Royal Navy Warship, HMS Trent, which arrived in Lagos on Sunday, as part of the UK’s mission to aid allies and partners in driving down illegal activities including piracy and illicit trades, the British Deputy High Commission announced on Monday.

The Warship which is making its second voyage to the country, according to the Senior Public Affairs Officer at the High Commission, Ndidiamaka Eze, will “help deliver capacity training and support maritime security in the region.”

“HMS Trent departed Gibraltar carrying an expert boarding team of UK Royal Marines and a Puma surveillance drone,” Eze said in a statement.

“HMS Trent’s mission is to support West African allies helping countries to develop capability to fight illegal crimes at sea and ensure they can play an effective role in bringing stability to wider West Africa.

“With around £6 billion of UK trade passing through the region, part of Trent’s task is to support stability across the Gulf of Guinea through training to help partner navies take the fight to criminal actors, fostering ties and sharing knowledge, whilst conducting patrols to increase security,” Eze added.

Speaking on arrival of the Warship, its Commanding Officer, Commander Tim Langford said:

“It is an honour for HMS TRENT to return to Nigeria, an important visit on the Ship’s three month deployment to West Africa.

“We are excited to work with our partner nations as we strive for a long-term solution to maritime insecurity across the region.

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“The Royal Navy has a long history of engagement within the region and an enduring partnership with the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

“My team is really looking forward to the opportunity to work with its Nigerian counterparts and build on the relationships established when we visited Lagos in 2021.”

Also speaking at the handover ceremony, UK Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Jonny Baxter, was quoted as saying:

“This deployment demonstrates how a truly global Britain is stepping up on the world stage to tackle shared international security challenges.

“Nigeria is an important and valued defence partner for the UK in West Africa. Our two countries face many shared threats and we are keen to work with Nigeria to defeat these and to help improve maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.”

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