Fresh from participating in NATO MCM exercise Sea Breeze off the coast of Dorset, two Ukrainian minehunters have arrived in Portsmouth Naval Base for further training.
The crew of the two ships, formerly assets in the Dutch and Belgian navies, will be based in the Hampshire port for a few months while they undertake a series of training courses across the U.K., as per a recent Royal Navy press statement.
The vessels have now been renamed UNS Mariupol and Melitopol, and at the end of their extended training their 80-strong crew will sail the minehunters to the Black Sea to help clear it of mines and other underwater explosive devices.
Under Operation Interflex the RN has already previously trained about 180 Ukrainian sailors to operate another two MCM vessels, UNS Chernihiv and Cherkasy – formerly HMS Shoreham and HMS Grimsby.
The crew of UNS Mariupol and Melitopol have already spent around six months familiarising themselves with their vessels, most recently participating alongside UNS Chernihiv and Cherkasy in Exercise Sea Breeze 25-2, between June 30 and July 11.
The latest Royal Navy-hosted iteration of this annual exercise also included forces from Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Greece, Latvia, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and Türkiye, as per a statement from MARCOM, NATO’s Allied Maritime Command.
Sea Breeze took in mine-hunting operations, safe disposal of explosives, and diving and salvage techniques, as well as deploying and recovering uncrewed underwater and surface vehicles (UUVs and USVs).
Commander Al Magill from the UK Mine Warfare Battle Staff said the crew on the new Ukrainian boats had impressed their colleagues, commenting: “The crews are a great bunch, very enthusiastic and laser-focused on what they need to do because they want to be back home, fighting for their country. It is a long-term goal — and a vital one for their economy and future security.”
He added: “And while the training we deliver is about teaching NATO minehunting doctrine to make the Ukrainian ships and crews interoperable, the Ukrainians are teaching us in modern warfare, of which they are the leading practitioners.”
A third new Ukrainian MCM vessel is expected to join its sister vessels in Portsmouth later in the year.
- You can read more details on the Royal Navy website and the MARCOM website