UK Defence Forum

The Royal Navy has successfully delivered navigation and small craft courses in the Caribbean.

Over four weeks, 22 marine police officers from the UK Caribbean Overseas Territories developed and improved their knowledge of handling small vessels, learning a variety of tactics, techniques and procedures to help with maritime security patrols.

A further 12 officers from the Royal Turks and Caicos Police Force Marine Unit were taught engineering and maintenance procedures and practices.

The courses were delivered by the Royal Navy International Maritime Training Team (IMTT) as part of a project between the Royal Turks and Caicos Police and the UK Defence Section in Jamaica.

WO2 Martin Power, officer in charge of the five-strong IMTT, said: “This training is very important in the global challenge of securing international maritime borders and for enhancing relations between the UK and UK Overseas Territories.

British Navy Vessel HMS Mersey will visit The Bahamas, June 6th -10th. HMS Mersey is one of the Royal Navy’s four River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels.

Acting High Commissioner to the Bahamas, Julia Sutherland said “We are happy that HMS Mersey is able to visit the Bahamas. This is another symbol of our commitment to improving UK – Bahamas relations. Her presence provides an opportunity for us to engage with the Bahamian government and citizens. Following on the work of RFA Lyme Bay after the passage of Hurricane Joaquin, HMS Mersey will be available to provide support to the region during this hurricane season, to be succeeded by RFA Wave Knight in July. We look forward to welcoming as many persons as possible on board. ”

The Cayman Islands will be getting a new H145 helicopter from Airbus next year after the Foreign Office Overseas Territories Minister, Lord Ahmad, and Premier Alden McLaughlin signed a memorandum of understanding in London on Friday, paving the way for a shared deal to buy the new machine for the RCIPS Air Operations Unit. Government officials said the UK will cover 25% of the purchase price and running costs, with Cayman providing the balance. The overall cost of the helicopter is just over US$11 million, which includes equipment and a training package.

The new helicopter, which will be used alongside the AOU’s existing chopper, will boost Cayman’s capability in the areas of search and rescue, law enforcement and border protection operations. It will also be used to respond to disasters and other emergency situations in the other British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean. It is hoped that the helicopter can be brought into operational use in mid to late 2019.

GibMariner wrote:Over four weeks, 22 marine police officers from the UK Caribbean Overseas Territories developed and improved their knowledge of handling small vessels, learning a variety of tactics, techniques and procedures to help with maritime security patrols.

A further 12 officers from the Royal Turks and Caicos Police Force Marine Unit were taught engineering and maintenance procedures and practices.

The courses were delivered by the Royal Navy International Maritime Training Team (IMTT)

Hurricane Dorian was one of the most powerful cyclones to hit the Bahamas, killing dozens of people. We followed British military personnel as they carried out life-saving work in the region.

A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake has struck in the Caribbean, prompting brief tsunami warnings for parts of the region, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said on Tuesday.

The quake hit between Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Cuba at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the USGS said.

Buildings shook and tremors were felt as far away as Miami, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Warnings by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) were later withdrawn.

The PTWC initially said "hazardous tsunami waves" were possible for coasts located within 300km (186 miles) of the earthquake's epicentre.

This included parts of Belize, Cuba, Honduras, Mexico, the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, it said.

But in an update at around 20:45 GMT, the PTWC said the "tsunami threat had now largely passed".

Seismologist Dr Lucy Jones tweeted: "The M7.7 Jamaican quake produced sideways motion on the fault, so the tsunami risk is low."

The epicentre of the quake, initially reported as magnitude-7.3 before being upgraded, was 125 km north-west of Lucea, Jamaica.

Shaking has been reported in the Cuban capital, Havana, and in Kingston, Jamaica.

"I felt the house trembling and realised that it was a quake," Kingston resident Jawara Rawjers told AFP news agency.

Machel Emanuel, a doctor in the same city, added: "I was on the second floor of a building and there was a sustained shaking of the building. I felt dizzy. The door was slamming consistently for a while."

In the Cayman Islands, a warning to "move away from coastal areas" was issued by the government but stood down a few hours later.

On Twitter, Cayman authorities said there were "only a few reports of structural damage to buildings" and shelters were being opened as a precaution.

Mikhail Campbell, a police media relations officer in the Cayman Islands, told Reuters news agency he was not immediately aware of any reports of serious damage.

Tempest414 wrote: ↑27 Jul 2023, 14:53 This is why we need the RB2's to be upgraded to have SAAB X1 3d radar and a 40mm main gun as a base line and if needed a CAMM pod could be added and also a Camcopter or Jackal drone with LMM could be a good fit

SW1 wrote: ↑27 Jul 2023, 15:21

Tempest414 wrote: ↑27 Jul 2023, 14:53 This is why we need the RB2's to be upgraded to have SAAB X1 3d radar and a 40mm main gun as a base line and if needed a CAMM pod could be added and also a Camcopter or Jackal drone with LMM could be a good fit

Or a general purpose frigate

SW1 wrote: ↑30 Nov 2023, 15:05 Security situation in the Caribbean deteriorating