Devonport Ships Fight Piracy

Two Plymouth based Royal Navy Warships are in the Gulf of Aden fighting piracy.  HM Ships Cumberland and Northumberland have recently been tasked to conduct anti-piracy operations in the wake of the recent rise in the number of attacks on merchant shipping in the region.

The 2 Ships met up as Northumberland was resuming patrol and Cumberland was departing after 2 weeks on station to store and fuel ship in nearby Djibouti.  Commander Peter Sparkes, Commanding Officer of HMS Cumberland, said:

“We are here as part of NATO’s commitment to fighting piracy whilst Northumberland is here as part of Coalition Task Force 150 and the UK’s support for the region but wherever you are deployed in the world with the Royal Navy it’s great to see familiar faces.”

HMS Cumberland is currently on an operational deployment with Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2), reaffirming the Alliance’s commitment to fighting piracy in the region.  SNMG2 has also sent ships to escort UN World Food Programme ships carrying essential food into Somalian ports.  Cumberland has been in the area for a week deterring, detecting and disrupting piracy and, if necessary, offering assistance to merchant vessels transiting the region.  HMS Northumberland is on a 7 month deployment which will encompass Africa and the South Atlantic.