2023-12-24 16:30:00
The ship HMS Trent on a stop in Ukraine (Europa Press)
The United Kingdom is preparing to send a warship to Guyana, a former British colony, in a gesture from London of support against the territorial claims of Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro over the Essequibo region that is rich in oil and minerals.
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The Ministry of Defense confirmed that HMS Trent, an offshore patrol ship, which until now had been deployed in the Caribbean to search for drug traffickers, will take part in joint exercises after Christmas, the BBC reported.
“HMS Trent will visit Guyana, a regional ally and Commonwealth partner, later this month as part of a series of engagements in the region during her Atlantic Patrol Task deployment,” a Ministry of Defense spokesperson told the BBC.
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HMS Trent has a crew of 65, a maximum speed of 24 knots and a range of 5,000 nautical miles. Additionally, she is armed with a 30mm cannon, a contingent of Royal Marines and she can deploy Merlin helicopters and drones.
HMS Trent left her home port of Gibraltar in early December and is currently in Bridgetown, Barbados, for Christmas. The warship is expected to anchor off Georgetown, Guyana’s capital, and she will conduct visits, joint activities and training with the country’s navy and other allies, as she cannot dock because the port is too shallow.
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The ship is primarily used to combat piracy and smuggling, protect fisheries, counterterrorism, provide humanitarian aid and search and rescue operations, but the Royal Navy has explained that it is also designed for border patrols and defense diplomacy.
The territorial conflict dates back to the 19th century, when an 1899 ruling, defended from Georgetown, stipulated that Venezuela renounced Essequibo, although it later retracted this. For its part, Caracas relies on the 1966 Geneva Agreement signed between the United Kingdom (former colonial power of Guyana) and Venezuela, in which they recognized Essequibo as a disputed territory.
The Chavista regime approved the annexation of Essequibo in a referendum on December 3. A few days later, Maduro presented to the National Assembly an Organic Law for the creation of the state of Guayana Esequiba following the results of the referendum, which in the eyes of Caracas has gone from being consultative to binding.
(With information from Europa Press)
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