Royal Navy ship offers back-up for storm season

(CNS): The Royal Navy vessel HMS Trent arrived in Cayman waters on Friday after Governor Jane Owen, on behalf of the National Hazard Management Executive, made an official request for assistance in the face of Hurricane Beryl’s projected arrival. While the support was not needed this time, the vessel has been deployed in the region while HMS Medway, which usually patrols the Caribbean in hurricane season, undergoes maintenance.

While the ship was here, the Cayman Islands Regiment and Hazard Management Cayman Islands (HMCI) coordinated a tour for the crew to review the islands’ infrastructure, visit key points for deployment and analyse capabilities. 

“It was a pleasure meeting with Lieutenant Commander Shelton and others to understand the specialisations of the crew members aboard HMS Trent,” Owen said. “I am more than confident that although we were spared from Hurricane Beryl, their arrival was perfectly timed and allowed us a rare opportunity to build relationships with the crew for future recovery and restoration.”

HMS Trent was stationed near Puerto Rico when the ship was asked to come to the Cayman Islands. The crew had recently completed a training exercise ashore and were placed on alert for British Overseas Territories as Hurricane Beryl became a category 3 storm and headed past the Windward Islands.

“Trent remains at high readiness to support our Overseas Territories in the event of hurricane or storm damage,” said Commanding Officer Tim Langford. “Having operated in the Caribbean since December last year, we are fully prepared to deliver aid and assistance when called upon.”

The visit shifted from relief to knowledge-building and gave the crew a chance to develop situational awareness and strategic relationships in the event that HMS Trent or Medway needed to return to the Cayman Islands under more austere circumstances in the future.

“The visit of the captain and crew of HMS Trent to the Cayman Islands highlights the vital importance of international collaboration in enhancing our national resilience,” said Home Affairs Minister Sabrina Turner. “By maintaining strong partnerships such as these, we are better equipped to ensure public safety and respond effectively to major disasters. This engagement exemplifies our commitment to fostering cooperative relationships that bolster Cayman’s preparedness and fortify our capacity to protect and serve our communities.”

Before departing Cayman, the ship sailed to Cayman Brac to meet with Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly and District Commissioner Mark Tibbetts.

“The visit of HMS Trent was indeed reassuring, and it is a testament to our modern UK/Cayman partnership,” the premier said. “We were able to visit the various infrastructure on the Brac, as well as discuss our level of preparedness. Truly, we are blessed, and the passing of Hurricane Beryl was a reminder of this.”