HMS Cutlass, a British patrol vessel, recently concluded its visit to Tangier, where it participated in a series of maneuvers alongside the Moroccan Royal Navy, under the direction of senior Moroccan military officials.
HMS Cutlass, a ship integrated into the Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron (RNGS), entered service in 2022 and made its second visit to a foreign port in Tangier in 2024, after a previous call in Portugal last May. The visit of HMS Cutlass follows that of HMS Dagger, which also called at Tangier in May 2023.
Upon arrival in the Moroccan city, the crew of HMS Cutlass were warmly welcomed by the Moroccan authorities and the Royal Navy. During the visit, the officer commanding the Gibraltar Squadron of the Royal Navy, in accordance with naval tradition, held meetings with Captain Zitouni, commander of the 5th naval base in Tangier, Senior Captain Omari, responsible for the sector Maritime of the North, and senior colonel Htoto, commander of the Tangier garrison.
These meetings shined the spotlight on strengthening bilateral ties and exploring new opportunities for collaboration between the navies of the United Kingdom and Morocco. According to the commanding officer, this visit offered a “suitable opportunity” to improve operational skills alongside their Moroccan counterparts, emphasizing the importance of joint training to face the challenges of maritime security in the region.
The visit of HMS Cutlass also included a joint exercise with the Rodman GC-131, a Royal Navy patrol boat based in Tangier. The maneuvers took place in a specific area of the Moroccan coastline, with the aim of improving the interoperability of the two navies and testing the capabilities of each ship.
The British Ambassador to Morocco, Simon Martin, attended these operations, boarding HMS Cutlass before departure.
During this naval exercise, the crews of the two ships carried out complex navigation maneuvers, radio communications simulations and towing exercises. Ambassador Martin even took the helm of HMS Cutlass under the supervision of the ship’s executive officer, contributing to a coordinated change of position during maneuvers. At the end of the exercises, HMS Cutlass conducted “Foxtrot formation” alongside GC-131, concluding the deployment with an exchange of greetings on the high seas.
The British ambassador underlined the importance of cooperation in the Strait of Gibraltar, specifying that “these exercises reflect the commitment of both countries to freedom of navigation in this strategic maritime area”. He also praised the professionalism and coordination demonstrated by the two navies during the maneuvers.
After her stay in Tangier, HMS Cutlass returned to Gibraltar to resume her usual surveillance and sovereignty operations alongside HMS Dagger. The visit to Tangier strengthened historic ties between the navies of the United Kingdom and Morocco, as part of an alliance that continues to focus on stability and security in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.
HMS Cutlass and HMS Dagger are state-of-the-art ships built to operate in the British territorial waters of Gibraltar to protect the sovereignty of the United Kingdom over Gibraltar. They have a top speed of more than 40 knots thanks to their three water jets and their Volvo Penta engines.
