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Navy ship in Gibraltar after guarding oil platforms and chasing human smugglers
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Arriving in Gibraltar on this morning is the Type 23 frigate, HMS Richmond, which has been on patrol in the North Arabian Gulf, guarding oil platforms and chasing human smugglers.
The ship has spent the last 6 months on patrol in the North Arabian Gulf where her main task has been to protect offshore Iraqi oil platforms. Given that 90% of Iraqi oil flows through these terminals, these platforms are a major source of income for the emerging Iraqi economy and a prime target for the leaders of any insurgency movement.
In one operation, Richmond worked with the Yemeni coastguard to arrest human smugglers. Having covertly tracked two suspicious dhows throughout the day, under the cover of darkness, HMS Richmond followed the two smuggling boats as they headed back to Somalia and co-ordinated a close-quarters intercept. It is believed the boats had been used to smuggle illegal immigrants into Yemen from Somalia.
"Monitoring the suspected smuggling vessels from afar using the ship's tracking capabilities we could clearly see some suspicious activity underway,? said Richmond's Commanding Officer, Commander Piers Hurrell. ?Using the 'stealthy' features of the Type 23 Frigate, 13 suspected human smugglers were arrested and two vessels seized. The message this sends to others involved in this illegal activity is quite clear."
On her journey to Gibraltar, HMS Richmond called at Constanta, Romania where the ships? officers briefed members of the Romanian Naval Headquarters Staff on the operational and logistic aspects of their Gulf deployment.
?I am delighted that we were able to relate our recent experiences to our fellow colleagues as they continue to integrate their forces further into NATO,? said Commander Hurrell.
HMS Richmond, a 436ft Type 23 Duke Class frigate weighing more than 4,000 tonnes, will leave Gibraltar on Friday to return to her home base of Portsmouth.
The ship was launched in 1993 and has a crew of 200. Richmond carries state of the art weapons and communications, including anti-submarine torpedoes, harpoon anti-ship missiles and a Merlin helicopter.
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