Northern Arabian Task Force Handed to UAE

The UK Royal Navy has handed over the command role of a naval task force patrolling the Northern Arabian Gulf to the United Arab Emirates.

The Royal Navy led a naval task force for four months, which also included the Devonport-based warship HMS Monmouth.

During the deployment, HMS Monmouth participated in a series of operations designed to exercise coalition responses to potential threats to maritime infrastructure in the Gulf.

A Royal Navy spokesman said the ship conducted manoeuvres to reassure shipping about the purpose of the coalition operations and deployed her Royal Marines and Royal Navy boarding teams to visit fishermen aboard their craft at sea.