Taking a break from patrolling the Indian Ocean, Royal Marines have been training alongside the Seychelles Coast Guard in support of a multi national counter-piracy effort.
UK Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Fort Austin recently completed a five day port visit to the Seychelles during which her embarked detachment of Royal Marines, from 42 Commando, conducted boarding and security training with a Coast Guard team.
RFA Fort Austin is a 23,000 tonne fast dry stores ship which has been providing direct support to CTF-150 and UK ships in the region in addition to front line patrol duties since she arrived in the Gulf last year.
CTF-150 conducts maritime security operations in the Indian Ocean to deter terrorism and promote peace and security.
It is one of three principle task forces operated by the Combined Maritime Forces, a multinational naval partnership of 30 nations based in Bahrain.
Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) is a multinational naval partnership of 30 nations, which exists to promote security, stability and prosperity across approximately 2.5 million square miles of international waters, which encompass some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.