HMS Richmond to dock in Port Victoria on March 2 in time for Seychelles carnival

It is now confirmed that HMS Richmond will be coming alongside Port Victoria on Wednesday, March 2 at 12:30 pm, and for the first time, a UK Naval Ship will be doing a ceremonial arrival, whereby all available crew will be dressed in their military whites and will be portside as they dock.

Alain St.Ange, the CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board and eTurboNews Ambassador, said that this will be quite a visual spectacle. The involvement of HMS Richmond alongside a Russian and an Indian Naval Ship is to help to show the commitment of the community of nations in their task to ensure that the shipping route of the Indian Ocean is made safe.

UK’s High Commissioner to the Seychelles, Mr. Mathew Forbes will be at Port Victoria to welcome the ship and to say a few words about UK involvement in the carnival and also that of HMS Richmond. Alain St.Ange, the CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board, who was responsible to issue appeals for naval ships to be in Victoria for the 2011 Seychelles “Carnaval International de Victoria” said that Seychelles was thankful for the support to make the shipping route of the Indian Ocean a safe route.

“We needed to send out a message that the world stands together to rid that Indian Ocean shipping route of pirates and what a better way to do that than through a participation in a media opportunity with a difference. We salute the support of the British, Russian, and Indian naval Ships to echo this commitment on behalf of all the other partners from the community of Nations,” Alain St.Ange said.

It must be appreciated that the request for naval ships to be in Port Victoria was at the last minute, and this made it impossible for some other countries to be able to mobilize their naval ships in time.