HMS Richmond in Malta tomorrow

The Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond will visit Malta tomorrow on her way home to Portsmouth.

The frigate is on the final leg of a seven month deployment that has seen it operating as Far East as Brunei and as far south as the Seychelles, deep into the Indian Ocean.

Its Commanding Officer, Captain Mike Walliker OBE, said:

"I am delighted to bring HMS Richmond alongside in the majestic Grand Harbour; this has been a very busy and varied deployment for us all and Malta will provide us with a fantastic location and the opportunity to resupply the ship and indulge in some rest and recuperation. I am proud of the efforts we have made towards countering piracy, feeding the starving in Somalia and promoting the UK's interests in the Far East."

HMS Richmond spent the first two months of her deployment as the UK contribution to the European Naval Force operating off the Horn of Africa deterring, detecting and disrupting the scourge of piracy that has blighted the area for many years.

The ship used her embarked Royal Marine and Royal Navy boarding teams to investigate suspicious vessels in addition to reassuring fishermen and other locals of the region going about their lawful business on the high seas.

In addition to counter-piracy, Richmond was tasked with escorting a cargo vessel into the Somali capital of Mogadishu as part of the United Nations World Food programme; working in conjunction with the African Union Mission in Somalia peacekeeping troops. These vital supplies are essential to feeding half the population of Somalia, with one vessel alone providing nine million meals.

During this phase of counter piracy operations, other port stops were made in Salalah, Oman, Djibouti and the Seychelles.

Wider Regional Engagement included activity in the Far East.

During this time, HMS Richmond led "Bersama Shield" a major military exercise, with participants from the Five Powers Defence Agreement nations of Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand, with activity mainly concentrated in the South China Sea close to the Malaysian coast.

More recently, Richmond is engaged in Operation Active Endeavour, a standing NATO maritime security commitment in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Ship will be berthed at Pinto Wharf until Saturday. She will not be open to the public.