UK warship patrols waters between TCI and Haiti
Royal Fleet Auxiliary Wave Knight patrolled in Turks and Caicos Island waters today, Sunday, 28 April 2013.
The ship, which currently on the UK’s Atlantic Patrol Task (North), in support of the Overseas Territories, had patrolled the waters between Turks and Cacios Islands (TCI) and Haiti at the request of the Governor’s Office after a recent flurry of attempts to enter the territory illegally.
Indeed, TCI immigration officials repatriated nearly 300 illegal immigrants earlier this month. The Haitian and TCI governments are working closely to prevent sloops of potential emigrants from even considering leaving Hispaniola.
Wave Knight also passed Salt Cay, Grand Turk and South Caicos earlier in the day, before looping around the islands of North and Middle Caicos and Providenciales in the afternoon.
During her passage south of Salt Cay Wave Knight took the opportunity to observe and gather information on the presence of vessels fishing the Mouchoir Bank.
The Atlantic Patrol Task (North) commitment has one or more UK warships stationed in the Caribbean to provide disaster relief during hurricane season, and to work with other nations to prevent people and drug trafficking. When time permits other tasks are undertaken such as fisheries protection in the waters of the Overseas Territories.