According to information published by the UK MoD on March 1, 2023, the River class OPV HMS Spey is spending five days in Ream Naval Base, which lies 100 miles southwest of the capital Phnom Penh, for a series of goodwill events marking 70 years of diplomatic relations between the UK and Cambodia.
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Batch 2 River class Offshore Patrol Vessel HMS Tamar. (Picture source: UK MoD)
The visit to Cambodia by HMS Spey comes on the back of a five-day stop in Ho Chi Minh City in neighboring Vietnam – with almost identical aims.
Unlike Cambodia, Vietnam has been visited on a regular basis for the last few decades; Spey’s the fourth Royal Navy ship to call on the country in the past five years, making the UK among Vietnam’s most persistent and reliable partners in maritime security.
Upon leaving Khanh Hoi Port for the relatively-short journey to Sihanoukville, Spey conducted exercises with Vietnamese Navy missile ship 378 before continuing west.
With her sister HMS Tamar – currently in the Indian Ocean – HMS Spey is on a five-year mission to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, the first persistent presence here in a quarter of a century, working with friends, allies and partners, championing British industry and values and ensuring maritime security.
HMS Spey
The Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessels are primarily designed for maritime security and counter-terrorism duties. They have a length of approximately 90 meters (295 feet), a displacement of 2,000 tons, and a speed of around 24 knots (44 kilometers per hour).
HMS Spey is equipped with a 30mm automatic cannon and two Miniguns and can carry up to two rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) for boarding operations or rescue missions. The ship has a complement of around 50 sailors and can remain at sea for up to 35 days.
