World news story

Royal Navy Ship HMS Tamar visit to strengthen UK-Tonga partnership

HMS Tamar and her crew will be visiting the Kingdom of Tonga from 8 to 13 April.

From:
British High Commission Nuku’alofa
Published
8 April 2024
This was published under the 2022 to 2024 Sunak Conservative government

Guests of honour visiting the vessel include Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala and Crown Princess Sinaitakala Tuku’aho who will be hosted for a formal lunch, meeting the Executive Officer, crew and having a private tour of the vessel. The Prime Minister the Hon Hu’akavameiliku and senior members of the Cabinet will also visit the ship.

The Ship’s port call will also focus on:

  • gender and inclusion through events for Women in Uniform, charities and school groups. Working to uplift and inspire marginalised and under-represented groups, while in Tonga, the crew will work with the Tongan Red Cross and the Tongan National Institute for the Visually Impaired (TNVIA)
  • climate resilience with the Oceans 7 Ministers which will be followed by important discussions on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief with the National Disaster Risk Management Office and other key stakeholders

This is the first visit of HMS Tamar to Tonga, however, her sister ship HMS Spey provided humanitarian assistance and other support to Tonga following the January 2022 Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai underwater volcanic eruption and tsunami.

Both Tamar and Spey are stationed in the Indo-Pacific region as part of the UK’s enduring commitment to the region and the UK’s focus on developing genuine partnerships in Tonga and across the Pacific.

On her current deployment HMS Tamar has been focused on countering illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, including on a number of patrols around Fiji, and will conduct monitoring in Tonga’s EEZ. She will also work with the Tongan Navy to enhance cooperation and understanding.

Executive Officer and second in command Lieutenant Commander Jim Langley said:

The bonds of friendship and partnership between the United Kingdom and the Friendly Isles stretch back to beyond our living memory. It is fitting that those bonds will be celebrated again with Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and Princess, on board HMS Tamar. We are also delighted to have on board some Commonwealth representatives too, including from New Zealand and Fiji.

Lucy Joyce, British High Commissioner to the Kingdom of Tonga, said:

The visit to the Kingdom of Tonga by the Royal Navy demonstrates the enduring strength of our relationship and the importance the UK places on its partnership with Tonga and the Pacific region.

We are able to showcase the vessel to many of our partners here – progressing key shared objectives on climate change, defence and inclusion while also focusing on some of the next generation of Tongans with several school groups visiting the ship.

Defence is an important part of the UK-Tonga relationship with Tonga supporting the UK and allied forces in WWII; and Tongan marines serving in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the coalition forces.

Further information

  1. HMS Tamar is one of the most modern and environmentally conscious vessels in the Royal Navy fleet and demonstrates the Royal Navy’s commitment to tackling climate change and promoting sustainability. It is dedicated to reducing its carbon footprint and contributing to global environmental efforts. The ship’s selective catalytic reduction system works to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide by up to 97 per cent.

  2. HMS Tamar is an Offshore Patrol Vessel, and the fourth of five of the Batch 2 River-class vessels. They can perform a variety of roles, from fisheries protection and maritime security to providing humanitarian assistance in the wake of a disaster.

  3. HMS Tamar sailed from Portsmouth in September 2021 to be deployed to Indo-Pacific as part of the UK and Royal Navy’s commitment to the region. She has so far visited countries stretching from Japan to New Zealand, India to Fiji, and now Tonga.

  4. The Friendly Isles are so named because of the friendly reception Captain James Cook received on his arrival in 1773. The UK-Tonga friendship spans more than 350 years. Today, Tonga is twinned with the North Yorkshire seaside town of Whitby in the United Kingdom where Resolution, Captain Cook’s ship, was built.

  5. Lieutenant Commander Jim Langley will be available for interview.

  6. For media enquiries please contact: Mele’ana Moala’eua at the British High Commission on +676 8722602.

Updates to this page

Published 8 April 2024