Navy warship HMS Montrose resumes Middle East patrols
A Royal Navy frigate has re-joined the fight against illegal narcotics in the Middle East.
HMS Montrose is aiming to build on her impressive haul of drugs seized this year so far.
Montrose has already seized nearly £100m of illegal drugs this year – totalling close to two tonnes – in addition to the five tonnes her team confiscated in 2021.
The warship has been based in Bahrain for more than three years to bolster the Royal Navy's presence in the region.
She has re-joined an international task group after maintenance and trials to prepare her for the challenges of high summer in the Middle East.
It was recently announced that the ship struck a significant blow to the illegal arms trade when she intercepted fast boats carrying hi-tech weaponry and parts for cruise missiles.
HMS Montrose is well-suited to counter-narcotics operations with her Wildcat helicopter, offering a suite of sensors to pick out suspicious craft on the surface of the ocean.
A Royal Marines Boarding Team stands ready to lead board and search operations and secure vessels, ahead of conducting the physical search, which often takes several hours.
HMS Montrose will be working with the help and support of the Combined Maritime Forces which is made up of more than three dozen nations – the largest naval partnership on the planet.
It aims to improve the safety and security of shipping moving through the Gulf/Indian Ocean/Red Sea through four task forces, each of around six ships with a specific mission.
Montrose is assigned to Combined Task Force 150, established 20 years ago in the aftermath of the 9/11 atrocities, with the emphasis on disrupting terrorist and criminal organisations, plus other non-state actors, by obstructing their smuggling activities.
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