HMS Spey, a Royal Navy offshore patrol vessel, has conducted a freedom of navigation operation through the South China Sea this week, according to a statement from Defence Operations.
This activity, carried out in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), reaffirms the UK’s commitment to international law and maintaining a free, open, and stable South China Sea.
HMS SPEY has just conducted freedom of navigation activity through the South China Sea in accordance with UNCLOS.
This activity underlines the UK’s commitment to international law and to upholding a free, open and stable South China Sea. pic.twitter.com/7UHXObNAgH
— Defence Operations 🇬🇧 (@DefenceOps) May 16, 2025
The Ministry of Defence stated:
“This activity underlines the UK’s commitment to international law and to upholding a free, open, and stable South China Sea.”
HMS Spey recently completed a 16-day multinational exercise in the South China Sea, working alongside Commonwealth partners to rehearse joint responses to regional threats. Named Exercise Bersama Shield 25, the operation was conducted under the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA), uniting Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK.
During the exercise, HMS Spey joined warships from Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia under the command of Captain Mohd Effendy bin Shuib of the Royal Malaysian Navy. The drills included maritime surveillance, simulated air and surface threats, boarding operations, and gunnery exercises.
Commander Paul Caddy, HMS Spey’s Commanding Officer, remarked on the significance of the FPDA:
“The Five Power Defence Arrangement has been the bedrock of the UK’s enduring commitment to regional peace, security and stability over the past five decades. Our ability to respond to challenges now and in the future requires continuously developing and strengthening our ability to operate and cooperate.”
China has again condemned the UK’s actions, with its ambassador to the UK stating previously:
“I would like to remind the UK side that China’s rights and interests in the South China Sea have been established in the long course of history and have solid and legal basis. The UK’s picking on China by making an issue of the ‘award’ of the South China Sea arbitration, which is illegal, null and void, will not shake China’s firm resolve and staunch will to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”
However, international law, as determined by a 2016 ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, rejected China’s expansive territorial claims, deeming them without legal foundation. The ruling reaffirmed that the South China Sea is governed by international maritime laws, including the principle of freedom of navigation.
Despite the ruling, China continues to assert control over large parts of the sea, overlapping with the exclusive economic zones of several Southeast Asian nations, leading to regional tensions. The UK’s participation in freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) alongside allies is a direct challenge to what they view as unlawful maritime claims.
By carrying out these operations, HMS Spey and other allied vessels reinforce the rules-based order at sea, demonstrating that no single nation can dominate international waters or unlawfully restrict navigation.
Don’t think HMS Spey can be considered a ‘warship’.
The batch two rivers have been a great success for some of the far away patrol stations like west Africa, the Mediterranean and the Pacific islands but they are a bit under armed for the South China Sea.
Hopefully once the T31’s are deployed we can follow up on the previous plan and have one forward deployed in either Singapore or Brunei.
Having one deployed in this area with those under water glider drones attached could be a real intelligence coup gathering data on Chinese SSN’s acoustic signatures.
The USN already has the PLAN subs mapped out to a T. This data is shared with the RN.
Agree. Besides when the QEC task force sailed near China they tried to deploy some of their subs into a ambush position ahead. The Merlin’s and type 23s had them tracked and plotted the whole time, the accompanying Astute class could have sunk the lot as the Chinese didn’t even know it was there.
One area of naval power the Western allies have a significant qualitative advantage over China is attack submarines and ASW. Hard won expertise.
The PLAN sub fleet is going to rapidly improve however after they stole the designs from Naval Group France for the short fin Barracuda designs leading directly to the Aussies cancelling their order. There was no point ordering a sub that your principle antagonist knows everything about.
While multiple sources state that hundreds of gigabytes of data have been stolen from USN contractors by ChiCom hackers, has not previously understood that Naval Group had been compromised. Any info re BI, BAES, RR, etc.? Would presume all the CRINKs have ramped up efforts. One of the areas reportedly w/in the NATO 1.5% of GDP goal for associated (not direct) military spending, reportedly to be adopted at the 2025 NATO Summit in June, will be cyber security. Perhaps there will be additional emphasis on this area ultimately. 🤞🤞
…had not…🙄
What’s more interesting would be a small order for 6-8 corvettes based on a stretched river 2. <3000 tons. Helicopter, glide USSV, 56mm bae gun, NSM , torp tubes, small sea Ceptor silo and a CIWS. Could be a 40mm Bofors. That would all fit onto a stretched river class corvette. Cost wouldnt be too high and the RN gets a squadron of warships optimised for surface action and close protection of capital ships
On second thoughts a second batch of type 31s make much more sense and would offer a greater capability then a corvette sized warship.
Steel is after all cheap
Agree, I think you were pretty much describing a 3000 tonne T31. May as well go for the larger hull.
Sounds like the Babcock – Saab corvette being developed?
A third batch of OPV with additional defensive weapons against drones would I think make sense. Two 40mm guns and two 20mm guns along with a sea ceptor array would make a decent escort for merchant vessels against lower tech attacks which are increasingly becoming possible from smaller countries, sub national groups and pirates.
If it’s being asked to reassert FoN it needs to be equipped to face down a range of threats.
Yip – a 30mm pop-gun isn’t going to cut it.
Is it what the China says versus the rest of the World? If they’re are a signatory to the same conventions on the sea as the rest of the world plus the UN, it sounds like they’re wanting it both ways. Funny how they use very Western language when defending their rights and their historical self justification and their so called professional behaviour. The world has moved on. Country’s grow up and ideally want their independence, territorial boundaries, freedom to choose their relationships and to be respected. It still seems we have to be on either on Team USA, Team China or on Team bench.
None of this matters if you’re not willing to go and anchor off of the Chinese “islands”.
Those are not Chinese lands, they’re not even land and there is no EEZ around them.
But they won’t say near them and they won’t fly over them.