Mine countermeasures ships of the Royal Navy continue to play an important role in the Gulf – including working with another navy in the region.

Four Portsmouth-based MCMVs – HMS Grimsby, HMS Ledbury, HMS Ramsey and HMS Shoreham – joined three Royal Saudi Navy ships in the first maritime exercise to be conducted in the Gulf since the conflict in Iraq.

The exercise was designed to increase the interoperability of the two navies.

Cdr Peter Lambourn, Commander of the UK Mine Countermeasures Force, said of his people: “All the ships’ companies have worked really hard whilst out here and with operations in Iraq now behind them, they are looking forward to some well-deserved visits to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Muscat, before the long trip home.”

Six mine countermeasures vessels, including HMS Grimsby and HMS Ledbury, took part in mine clearance operations in the narrow passage through the Northern Arabian Gulf and shallow waterways leading to the port of Um Qasr, allowing deliveries of much-needed humanitarian aid to reach the people of Southern Iraq.

Meanwhile two MCMVs which were involved in the Iraq conflict have returned to Clyde Naval Base in Scotland.

HMS Blyth and HMS Brocklesby had been deployed to the Middle East for nine months, and were part of the MCM force which captured 76 mines and destroyed another 12.

HMS Grimsby and HMS Ledbury are due to return to the UK later in the summer.