United Kingdom and Australia operate jointly in the South China Sea with HMS Tamar and HMAS Perth

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The United Kingdom and Australia have once again conducted joint operations in the South China Sea, this time involving the offshore patrol vessel HMS Tamar (P223) and the Anzac-class frigate HMAS Perth (FFH-157). During the activity, the two ships exercised navigation rights and freedoms established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), strengthening both navies’ presence in one of the Indo-Pacific’s most contested maritime regions.

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The patrol took place over the weekend, shortly after HMS Tamar had completed an eight-day visit to Cambodia. London did not disclose the precise location or dates of the joint sailing, but reiterated that its regional operations are tied to upholding international law and maintaining a “free, open and stable” maritime space.

United Kingdom sustains an Indo-Pacific presence with two patrol vessels

HMS Tamar’s involvement forms part of a British strategy launched in 2021, when the vessel and its sister ship HMS Spey (P234), both River Batch 2-class ships, were permanently deployed to the Indo-Pacific. Rather than relying solely on the periodic deployment of major naval groups from the United Kingdom, the two patrol vessels enable the Royal Navy to sustain a continuous surface presence across a vast operational area.

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Their missions cover co-operation activities with partner countries, maritime security, monitoring sanctions compliance and sovereignty-related operations. This presence also allows British ships to take part regularly in exercises and patrols alongside allied forces, including the Royal Australian Navy.

HMS Spey carried out a comparable operation in June 2025, sailing with the Hobart-class destroyer HMAS Sydney (DDG-42) near the Spratly Islands. Just days earlier, the British patrol vessel had also transited the Taiwan Strait.

Such activities are particularly significant in the South China Sea, where Beijing maintains broad maritime claims that overlap with those of other countries in the region. The United Kingdom and Australia, meanwhile, describe their operations as an exercise of the navigation rights recognised by UNCLOS.

From Cambodia to the South China Sea

Before joining HMAS Perth, HMS Tamar had completed an eight-day port visit to Cambodia, including co-operation activities with the Royal Cambodian Navy. The visit also marked the first time a Royal Navy vessel had entered Ream Naval Base.

Once its exercises with Cambodian forces had concluded, the patrol vessel resumed regional operations and proceeded to the joint activity with Australia. This sequence of engagements highlights the role assigned to HMS Tamar and HMS Spey: maintaining an uninterrupted British presence in the Indo-Pacific by combining naval co-operation with regional partners and operations intended to reaffirm freedom of navigation in contested waters.