The Royal Navy ship HMS Protector will be deployed to the region from 1 Aug. to provide hurricane and disaster relief capabilities, Governor Martyn Roper announced Wednesday.
The warm waters of the Caribbean Ocean will be a change for the vessel, which is the Royal Navy’s only Ice Patrol Ship. According to the Royal Navy website, the HMS Protector “calls the freezing waters of Antarctica and the Southern Hemisphere home”.
If storm predictions prove to be accurate, the crew on board may find that their assistance will be needed. This year’s hurricane season is predicted to be another above-average season, for the seventh consecutive year.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida, is forecasting between 14 to 21 named storms, of which up to 10 could develop into hurricanes, and between three to six could become major hurricanes of category 3, 4 or 5.
HMS Protector is capable of producing fresh water supplies and has pre-loaded emergency relief stores on board, including emergency generators and building materials. It also has a small medical facility and medical stores.
The crew includes engineers, logistics personnel and a relief team.
The Navy describes the ship as its “Swiss army knife – red, versatile, and always there when you need her”.
As well as the HMS Protector being able to offer disaster-relief assistance in the region if the need arises, the governor said there are other “extensive capabilities held at readiness in the UK, should they be required”.
A statement issued by the Governor’s Office said, “In the lead up to the 2022 hurricane season, the UK Government has continued to work closely with Cayman and other OT Governments to ensure robust preparations and plans are in place. The UK hosted a pre-hurricane season conference in Miami with disaster response experts from all the Overseas Territories in the region to enhance preparations and improve co-ordination for the season ahead.”
Earlier this month, as part of hurricane preparations in Cayman, the Governor’s Office arranged for an eight-member strong UK Ministry of Defence team from Joint Forces HQ to visit the islands for 10 days for familiarisation and to take part in a desktop crisis exercise.
“That enabled them to fully understand how they could embed themselves in our National Emergency Operations Centre during a crisis to coordinate UK support with Cayman’s response and determine where UK support was needed,” the statement noted.
“The UK team were impressed with the capability and experience of Hazard Management Cayman Islands, Cayman’s state of readiness and preparedness and the valuable crisis experience the jurisdiction gained during Covid. This means we are in good shape as we approach another hurricane season.”
The Cayman Islands Regiment will also be called into action if a hurricane or other disaster occurs.
The Governor’s Office said the regiment had grown in “strength and capability”, and had added new skill sets this year, and is now able to “quickly set up a self-sufficient camp with their own power generation, desalinate sea water, cook meals for hundreds, conduct first aid/medivacs and clear roads of trees/debris as a part of a co-ordinated disaster response”.
At the end of last year, Lieutenant Theo Kelly of the Cayman Islands Regiment spent some time deployed to the Royal Navy on the patrol ship HMS Medway, to help develop the UK and Cayman humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations partnership.
“Hurricane preparedness in the Overseas Territories remains a top priority for both Cayman and the UK Government who stand ready to provide critical aid and support if needed,” Roper said in the statement. “Having HMS Protector in the region during the core hurricane season strengthens our disaster response and complements our own hurricane season preparations ably led by Hazard Management Cayman Islands.
“Cayman has a proud record of supporting other countries and Overseas Territories in the region whether sending aid or our Police helicopter and personnel (which went to TCI and The Bahamas in recent years). We stand ready to support should the need arise.”
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