| Aziz Idris |
THE United Kingdom (UK) Royal Navy ship HMS Montrose concluded its two-day visit to the Sultanate with joint naval exercises alongside KDB Berkat of the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) yesterday.
The Type 23 frigate arrived in Brunei last Saturday to foster the longstanding bilateral defence relationship between the UK and Brunei through exchange visits and drills.
During an interview with local media, Commanding Officer of HMS Montrose Commander Conor O’Neill said that the main purpose of the visit was to stock up on supplies as its crew will be deployed to the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific for many years.
“This particular visit is focussed around logistics supply and we are grateful for the support of the RBN, the Maritime and Port Authority of Brunei Darussalam, and the British Garrison for making it possible,” he said.
“As we set sail and leave Brunei waters, we will conduct a sea exercise with KDB Berkat of the RBN.”
HMS Montrose will then head for Bahrain where she will be based for the next three years. There, she will conduct patrols and swap her entire crew with her sister ship HMS Monmouth every six months.
HMS Montrose’s stop in Brunei is the fourth visit of a UK Royal Navy ship to the country in the past 12 months, following the visits of the Royal Navy flagship HMS Albion, and HMS Argyll.
HMS Montrose is currently operating as part of the UK’s Joint Expeditionary Force, which requires her to be ready to respond to National and Coalition Tasking. Her forward deployment to the Asia-Pacific region is a demonstration of the UK’s commitment to maritime security across the globe, and of the UK’s regional engagement in building regional maritime capability.
HMS Montrose has also been monitoring the enforcement of UN sanctions against North Korea, preventing illegal ship-to-ship transfers of banned goods as part of the international pressure campaign against North Korea’s illegal nuclear programme.
The vessel is also involved in the global campaign against plastic pollution in the oceans, doing its part by recording pollution at remote islands under the British Overseas Territories: the Pitcairn Islands of Pitcairn, Dulcie, Oneo and Henderson.
Commander O’Neill personally conducted an aerial survey of the masses of debris on the shorelines of the islands, in particular Henderson Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and dubbed “the most polluted island in the world”.