Acting Governor Welcomes HMS Protector Personnel
By J Brock (FINN)
Personnel from the HMS Protector
7 September 2021
The Acting Governor hosted a reception at Plantation House on Monday, 6 September 2021, to welcome personnel from the HMS Protector. Invited guests included St Helena Government (SHG) officials, representatives from the Governor’s Office, Solomon & Company (St Helena) Plc, the St Helena Veterans Association, and parents/family of persons currently serving in the Royal Navy.
“This evening we welcome Captain Wood and the ship’s company to St Helena. And of course, we welcome HMS Protector back to St Helena as she visited here last in 2012. St Helena has a rich maritime history, not surprising considering our remoteness in the middle of the South Atlantic. Any visit by the Royal Navy is therefore very warmly welcomed,” said Acting Governor, Greg Gibson.
The HMS Protector is a Royal Navy ice patrol ship that departed Plymouth on 10 August 2021. The HMS Protector is on her way to the Antarctic where she will support scientists from around the world in their study of the impact of global warming.
The HMS Protector stopped in Gibraltar before travelling directly to St Helena, a journey of around two weeks. The ship will remain at St Helena until Friday, 10 September, and will return for a more substantial period in October. During her second visit the HMS Protector (in conjunction with colleagues on St Helena) will conduct survey operations around St Helena and Ascension Island, including seabed mapping, support St Helena and Ascension by watching for illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, and work with the Marine Management Organisation, under the Blue Belt Programme, to protect the ecosystem and marine environment around the Islands.
“St Helena is very appreciative of this work, which is over and above the capacity of what the Island can do. All of this data will fill the knowledge gaps and help to protect St Helena’s category six marine protected area,” The Acting Governor concluded.
