UK to send warship to Guyana in a show of support
24 December, 2023 HMS Trent. Photo from open sources. The UK is preparing to deploy a warship to Guyana in a show of diplomatic and military support.
The BBC reported on this. The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed that HMS Trent would participate in joint exercises after Christmas. HMS Trent is an offshore patrol vessel - it had been deployed to the Caribbean to search for drug smugglers but was re-tasked after Venezuela's government threatened to annex the Essequibo region of Guyana earlier this month.
"HMS Trent will visit regional ally and Commonwealth partner Guyana later this month as part of a series of engagements in the region during her Atlantic Patrol Task deployment," a Ministry of Defense spokesperson stated.
HMS Trent. Photo from open sources.
The warship is expected to anchor off the capital of Guyana, Georgetown, and conduct visits, joint activities, and training with the country's navy and other allies. It cannot go alongside because the port is too shallow.
The vessel is mainly used for tackling piracy and smuggling, protecting fisheries, counterterrorism, providing humanitarian aid, and search and rescue operations. The decision to deploy HMS Trent to Guyana is part of a growing UK effort to show international diplomatic support for Guyana.
Read more on the tension between Guyana and Venezuela in the article "Venezuela and Guyana: Oil, Jungle, War"
HMS Trent
HMS Trent is a British River-class offshore patrol vessel. In 2021, the warship visited Odesa to participate in joint exercises.
The length of the Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel is 90 m, the beam is 13 m, the displacement is about 2,000 tons, the maximum speed is 24 knots, the range is 5,500 nautical miles, the crew is 60 people, and the endurance is 35 days.
HMS Trent during a visit to Odesa. Photo credits: Dumskaya.
The armament consists of one 30-mm gun made by MSI-Defense Systems and two Mk.44 guns. The warship has a Merlin-capable flight deck.
The warship has space for a Marine Corps unit of up to 50 people.
Interestingly, this is the sixth Royal Navy ship named Trent.
The first, the sixth-rank frigate Trent, was built in 1757 and dismantled in 1764.