Royal Navy and Australian Navy Conduct Joint Freedom-of-Navigation Patrol in the South China Sea

Over a recent weekend, the Royal Navy’s offshore patrol vessel HMS Tamar sailed alongside the Australian frigate HMAS Perth in the South China Sea. The two ships exercised navigation rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a routine “freedom of navigation operation” (FONOP) intended to reaffirm the principle that all nations may transit international waters. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) stated the activity was fully compliant with UNCLOS and reflected the United Kingdom’s commitment to a free, open and stable maritime region.

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HMS Tamar is one of two Batch 2 River-class patrol vessels forward-deployed to the Indo-Pacific since 2021, the other being HMS Spey. The vessels provide the Royal Navy’s only permanent surface presence across a vast area, combining defence engagement, sanctions monitoring and sovereignty patrols. Earlier this year, HMS Spey and the Australian destroyer HMAS Sydney carried out a publicly announced bilateral FONOP around the Spratly Islands, marking the first such joint operation. The current patrol follows a pattern of routine FONOPs by several navies aimed at countering China’s expansive “nine-dash line” claims, which were rejected by a 2016 international arbitral tribunal.

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• Commander Tom Lindsey – Captain of HMS Tamar.

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• Royal Australian Navy – Operates HMAS Perth, a Hobart-class frigate.

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• People’s Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command – Conducted its own patrols in the South China Sea between 21 and 27 August.

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• Royal Cambodian Navy – Hosted HMS Tamar on 20 August at Ream Naval Base for joint training.

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• HMS Tamar arrived at Ream Naval Base on 20 August, escorted by two Cambodian patrol craft, and conducted trauma-care and damage-control drills with Cambodian sailors.

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• The People’s Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command reported patrol operations in the South China Sea from 21 to 27 August, underscoring the area’s heavy militarisation.

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• HMS Tamar is armed with a 30 mm cannon, providing limited combat capability and emphasizing the political nature of the presence.

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The MoD affirmed that the joint patrol was “conducted in accordance with UNCLOS” and reiterated the UK’s stance of taking no side in the competing sovereignty disputes of the littoral states. Chinese military officials, via the Southern Theatre Command, highlighted their own patrols during the same period, framing the waters as heavily militarised. The conclusion of the operation noted that the five-year Indo-Pacific deployment is entering its final phase, with uncertainty about how the Royal Navy will sustain forward presence beyond 2026, especially as older Batch 1 offshore patrol vessels are slated for withdrawal in 2028.

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