Royal Navy scrambles British warship to South America for Christmas amid fears of violence between Guyana and Venezuela over border dispute

• HMS Trent will take part in joint exercises with Guyana later this month

The Royal Navy will scramble to deploy a naval ship off Guyana later this month, the ministry of defence said today, as the South American nation faces a border dispute with neighbour Venezuela over the oil-rich Essequibo region.

HMS Trent – a vessel used for ‘defence diplomacy’, according to the government – will take part in joint exercises with Guyana after Christmas.

The deployment follows a visit by Foreign Office minister David Rutley to Guyana earlier this month, intended to offer the UK’s support for the country, an ally and former British colony.

He reiterated sovereign borders ‘must be respected’ and that the UK would work internationally ‘to ensure the territorial integrity of Guyana is upheld’.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: ‘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.’

Guyana and Venezuela agreed earlier this month to avoid any use of force and not to escalate tensions in the long-running dispute.

HMS Trent – a vessel used for ‘defence diplomacy’, according to the government – will take part in joint exercises with Guyana later this month

Venezuelan troops in different fatigues and carrying various weapons in Caracas, Venezuela (File Photo)

The vessel is in Barbados over Christmas and will then head to waters off the mainland of Guyana, according to reports.

The ship is not expected to dock in Georgetown, its capital, because the port is too shallow, the BBC said.

The broadcaster said it was intended as ‘a show of diplomatic and military support for the former British colony’.

The 160,000-square-km (62,000-square-mile) Essequibo region is generally recognised as part of Guyana, but in recent years Venezuela has revived its claim to the territory and to offshore areas after major oil and gas discoveries.

Some 11 billion barrels of recoverable oil and gas were found off the coast of Guyana in recent years.

The dispute dates back to the late 19th century, when Guyana was still a British colony.

Guyana and Venezuela agreed earlier this month to avoid any use of force and not to escalate tensions in the long-running dispute. Pictured Guyana (File Photo)

Venezuelan troops are seen mobilised in the border region, standing behind a map showing the Guyanese territory annexed to Venezuela

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro speaks during the notification ceremony for the referendum about the future of a disputed territory with Guyana, in Caracas, Venezuela, on December 4, 2023

Venezuela earlier this month published a new map showing Esequiba under Venezuelan control

Venezuela has long claimed Essequibo, which makes up about two-thirds of Guyana’s territory, and has ratcheted up its rhetoric over it in recent months.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government held a controversial referendum on December 3 in which 95 per cent of voters, according to officials in the hard-line leftist government, supported declaring the nation the rightful owner of Essequibo.

He has since started legal manoeuvres to create a Venezuelan province in Essequibo and ordered the state oil company to issue licenses for extracting crude in the region.

Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali has branded the moves a ‘grave threat to international peace and security’.

What is an offshore patrol vessel? 

The Royal Navy’s Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) are used to protect the UK’s interests domestically and internationally.

They safeguard territorial waters, protect fishing stocks, perform constabulary duties and act as the eyes, ears and representatives of the Royal Navy on their patrols.

Two of the UK’s OPVs were recently deployed to Jersey to patrol the waters surrounding the Channel Island.

Two generations of River-class ships serving in the Royal Navy, the Batch 1s and the newer Batch 2s, are currently among them.

Operating since the early 2000s, HMS Tyne and HMS Severn are part of the first generation and have largely helped to protect fish stocks.

They have often been called on for general duties at home and overseas.

In 2017, the two ships were joined by a new generation of River-class warships which are bigger, faster and more capable.

Source: Forces Network

Read more