NORTHUMBERLAND Bust – the Type 23 Frigate NORTHUMBERLAND has intercepted two drug smuggling skiffs carrying an estimated £ 5.4 million of cannabis resin in the Gulf of Oman.    Having identified the suspicious high speed skiffs during a routine patrol, the NORTHUMBERLAND embarked on a 30 mile pursuit and intercepted the skiffs with her MERLIN HM.1 helicopter and combined Royal Navy and Royal Marines boarding teams.     Whilst in pursuit of the smugglers the boarding teams witnessed approximately 60 bales being thrown overboard, seven of which were subsequently recovered.

The NORTHUMBERLAND has been involved in a major maritime exercise involving the Navies of twenty seven (27) Nations in Karachi.     Exercise Aman (Urdu for ‘peace’) was hosted by the Pakistan Navy and aimed to show the commitment of nations involved in tackling terrorism and other crimes in the Indian Ocean.     Navies participating included the Chinese, American, Australian, Emirati, Italian and of course the British.       At sea, exercises included gunnery blasting ‘killer tomato’ inflatable targets, performing counter-piracy demonstrations, carrying out cross-deck landings (which means helicopters from the various participants practise landing on different warships), and staging a combined search and rescue exercise.

NORTHUMBERLAND is operating under the banner of Combined Task Force 150, one of three task forces co-ordinated by the international Combined Maritime Forces with the aim of defeating terrorism, preventing piracy, stopping the illegal trafficking of people and drugs, and promoting the maritime environment as a safe place for mariners with legitimate business.   The NORTHUMBERLAND is due to return to the UK in May 2013, after almost eight months away.