Royal Navy offshore patrol vessel HMS Spey has exercised navigation rights and freedoms around the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, the UK Permanent Joint Headquarters has confirmed, the latest in a series of freedom of navigation operations carried out by the vessel in the region.
Defence Operations, the official PJHQ social media account, confirmed the operation on 5 May 2026, stating that HMS Spey had exercised navigation rights and freedoms around the Spratly Islands in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and that the UK was committed to international law and to upholding a free, open and stable South China Sea.
The operation follows a series of sailings by HMS Spey in 2025. In June of that year, the vessel made the first Royal Navy transit of the Taiwan Strait since 2021, drawing a sharp response from Beijing.
Senior Captain Liu Runke, spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theatre Command Navy, stated in an official release published on the Chinese Ministry of National Defence website that the UK’s remarks had distorted legal principles and confused the public, and that the transit was deliberately intended to disrupt the situation and undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, adding that troops remained on high alert and would resolutely counter all threats and provocations.
Days later, HMS Spey conducted a joint freedom of navigation operation around the Spratly Islands alongside HMAS Sydney of the Royal Australian Navy, again drawing condemnation from Beijing.
China’s ambassador to the UK had previously warned that the UK’s position on the South China Sea arbitration would not shake China’s resolve, saying: “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, the 2016 ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague rejected China’s expansive territorial claims as without legal foundation, reaffirming that the South China Sea is governed by international maritime law including the principle of freedom of navigation. Despite that ruling, China continues to assert control over large parts of the region, overlapping with the exclusive economic zones of several Southeast Asian nations.
The Spratly Islands are among the most contested places in the South China Sea, claimed in whole or in part by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, and have been the scene of a series of dangerous confrontations in recent years as Chinese coast guard and navy vessels have asserted Beijing’s expansive claims in the waterway.
I bet the PLAN shit themselves when she steamed on through.
Definitely not but it still upsets them😀
That crying was more likely, laughing 🤣
It will be interesting to see what happens when the PLAN steam right up to Diego Garcia and neither we or the US have any ability to stop them as the islands are not recognised as being british and we have no 12 mile limit.
I would love to know the Farrage s plan for that one, especially when we and the US frequently challenge Chinese islands in the South China Sea (although both the US and UK observe at 12 mile limit even thought it’s not official)
Maybe Farage could sell them for £30,000,000,000 rather than give them away ?
I always said It was a stupid Idea, Looks Like I wasn’t wrong either 😎😎😎
Great question though Jim, what’s your view on Cyprus, Gibraltar, Accension, Falklands, South Sandwich, Tristan De Cunha, Pitcairn, Rockall, Jersey, IOW, Belize and all the other places the UK has assets ?
How about “Spain’s” Cueto ?
Lot’s to discuss In that little list.
All those territories are recognised as being British by the UN so the 12 mile limit applies
Diego Garcia is not.
😁 Well thank Christ for that, God knows how many Trillions Starmer would have spaffed It that weren’t the case !
Ya spot on he’s given the French loads of our good hard tax pays money for nothing he’s l8ke a boil. On the end of ya old chap
Rockall is well disputed… a proper put up job..
Well that’s just not true is it? As a BIOT there is a strict 3mile limit extending out to 12 miles for fisheries protection as well as 200 sq mile zone for environmental purposes👍
As for Farage why drag him in he is not in charge is he? Perhaps you would be just as well asking what Labour’s( give them away) and the Tories plan is!
The current plan was already the Tories plan, they just got booted out before they implemented it.
Nope Cameron as foriegn secretary stopped it as he said it wasn’t in our national interests! It was this lot that started it up again,all in the public domain if you want to check it out👍
It will be more than what yellow belly starmers would be
That’s predicated on waving a piece of legal paper in front of the Chinese ambassador makes any difference what so ever. This world, always has and more so now, only understand hard power. The US has it, the UK doesn’t anymore.
If the UK wants to remain firm and strong upholding international law that may or may not be recognised by others its going to need more physical ships for more presence. Even to keep things respectful. Might need another 3-5 T31s for Gulf and the Indo-Pacific and linked to the South Atlantic. At east we have historical alliances with like minded countries in the region but the engagement with China’s position needs to be respectful and that China is also aware of counter views and the rights of other nations. Just hope they don’t start wanting to implement a toll through the Taiwan Strait and into the SCS and doing an “Atlantic Bastion” undersea. We keep openly publicising what we’re doing and want to do in the North Sea and Atlantic so got to expect a bit of “we will do that to” in “our” territorial waters and approaches.
I think these Rivers are a brilliant success, despite all the piss taking and negativity. It’s a bloody good Job we even have these out there doing stuff, It’s a worrying thought where we would be now without them.
Yes, but they need a back-up with a big stick, else it will be potentially not good. To go poking around in that neck of the woods the RN needs to quickly call in an Astute, destroyer/frigate “fitted with” anti-ship, and we need to get building Type 83 “cruisers” now.
Can we have a meeting to discuss all that ?
Ooooh yeah. Lets order coffees and pastries. 🙂
And that’s the thing.. china always plays the game with its OPVs and corvettes etc..but behind the OPVs with water cannons is a serious warship with a message about playing the maritime power game and crossing lines.
well done Spey. may have to rethink all straits and shipping bottlenecks post hormuz fiasco. what a legacy for trump to leave iran in charge of a vital shipping artery
With the withdrawal of another T23 the RN must have a shed load of Sea Ceptor, NSM, 30mm and other effectors available for either upgrades to Rivers and T45s or fully kiting out 24 Sea Ceptor to T31s now.
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Is Spey really a warship?
Yes, No, Maybe, Who cares.
Are all answers done to death over many decades regarding these Grey Bots !
It’s symptomatic of the last 15 years of RN leadership and collapse. A vessel with just a 30mm gun!
There were people on this forum arguing over the last 10 years that the RN didn’t need a heavyweight ASuW and that the 4.5″ gun was sufficient.
The fact the T31s will be built with no hull mounted sonar and barely any ASW capability, makes them not a replacement for GPT23 but an oversized OPV and floating coffin – not far off the Bacchante Class.
HMS Sutherland still has no 30mm close in defences fitted. The T45s have yet to have their NSMs fitted. Apart from 3x Phalanx the 2x carriers have no credible self defence against drones.
The fact the RN has less frigates than Singapore is bad enough, yet the remainder of the fleet is woefully under equipped. The ships coming in are liabilities in contested waters (t31), whilst the only decent ships in build are being given to Norway!
The CDS and RN seniors need to show some integrity and resign as those making the decisions are either very thick or are deliberately decimating the senior service.
What defines a warship?
To me she is, as she us built to warship standards of survivability.
Was Argos a warship to you? Or Dilligence? I don’t recall anyone making a point that they weren’t? They were STUFT, but did a great job.
I think the warship thing comes up as automatically people think all ships should have as many weapons hanging off them as humanly possible, and for her size she’s limited.
I’d be happy with a rotary Drone, a slightly bigger gun, and some serious SIGINT kit aboard.
To be honest Daniele, they are less limited than you would imagine, yes you loss range, but in the end I don’t think that matters for where we are.. the wolf is as they say at the door and it in the door we need to be, not on the far side of the world.
I would give them a good gun and CAMM, radar upgrade as a base fit, then maybe POD based mine warfare, ASW or ASuW capabilities onto the flight deck as required.
Hey presto! 5 more Light Frigates!
I’m amazed HMG haven’t tried the trick yet, they rebranded some other commands with new names that were exactly the same when they came out the other end….but were “new.”
On the armament issue, I’ve always been in the camp that upgunning them to too great a degree not only gives politicians ammunition to spin, but denudes more priority assets cash.
However, if the Wolf is at the door then yes, it comes to the point that you’ll put better weapons on them.
The 30mm in our QECs being the other example.
Indeed I would never think it would be a good idea in any other times… but I think we are beyond normalcy now in so many ways.
I think it’s really long past the time the RN moved to corvettes, when you have local seas to defend and a possible organic war on your doorstep corvettes are an answer. When your projecting power and fighting wars of choice at the other end of the world they are a bad choice.
We also know our enemy Russia only really gets how many pointy explosive things you point at it as a deterrent… it’s built into the Russian way of thinking that they will see an OPV armed with a 30mm responding to and escorting a frigate with heavy ASuW capabilities as a weakness and any weakness is anti deterrent..
It may seem just odd to us but to Russia a warship armed with NSMs pointing at its frigate as it escorts it shows “balls” and capability as a deterrent.. an OPV with a 30mm cannon just encourages them.
Which then begs the question, where is the institutional knowledge that must surely exist in DI ( once the DIS in Cold War days ) regards the Russian mindset, and why is that not feeding into our decisions.
Or, is it being ignored by beancounters and politicians who know better?
I suspect we all know the answer?
We should get PODS launch containers Brimstone/Martlet/ Sea Venom (all short enough to develope container VLS), as a min that can be plug an played. I know not huge range weapons but to be able to provide point defence for drones/UAV/USV to major assets (as well as thenselves) would make them even more useful. just a thought
Isn’t the whole point that the rivers are non confrontational military vessels. A Boaty McBoat Face kind of warship. So they can exercise international traversal rights without actually upsetting anyone.
Yes, no, maybe, who knows !
Are all possible answers that have been given for many years !
Not really in this case a warship is a warship.. a frigate or OPV is equivalent in how much it pisses off china or makes a point.
Warship ?
Sorry, but the River class are a waste of money.
Other navies have 1800-2000 ton corvettes that are much better armed.
Thanks for bringing all those Facts 😁
Not just facts but opinions too, at no extra cost
And are in general coastal support ships of absolutely no use whatsoever for this sort of exercise.
The question really is should be is that the operation the RN should be doing or should it be in the North Sea crawling all over Russian assets.
we count that as a ‘warship’ !
What’s your definition of a warship?
IMHO: At least a (well armed) Corvette.
Anything smaller or less well armed is a patrol boat.
Something bigger and more powerful, not a canoe though, I don’t care how many weapons you put on it
Do you understand now ?
And yet, the River B2s remain warships, in construction and survivability.
If you don’t care how many weapons, you’ll not be impressed with other nations versions of our Rivers, with SSM, SAM, and such?
Do I understand? Yes, with that blunt reply, I think I understand you very well…..
Only if everything that floats in the navy is a warship, everybodies a winner eh ?
It actually is a warship.. ignore the fact it’s got limited weapons, its scantlings are pure warship.
If your willing to stretch the definition !
Was a flowers class corvette a warship ?
It’s not a major surface combatant and is designed for low intensity warfare. But it’s still a warship.
if it capable of fighting on the front line, defence or offence, it might be a warship, if it’s built to police occupied territory it probably isn’t
Just as the news is the RN has lost another T23 to time.
Essentially we have to really be asking ourselves some serious questions about our geostrategic realities and can we really afford to have a OPV undertaking freedom of navigation on the other side of the world and pissing on china’s doorstep when.
1) The US and Europe are in an ever increasing rupture that if it continues will in a very short period see the end of NATO as is and the European nations and the U.S. at best becoming friendly neutrals.
2) china is now the second superpower and do we really want to piss it off and have it see us as part of its problem.. when:
3) Russia hates our guts and has started a grey war against us and is pushing us in an every way in our own water and our regional seas and oceans.
4) our naval mass has collapsed in a heap because a load of fuckwits believes in the end of history and last man and did not bother ordering and commissioning any frigates for 25 years.. we now have 4 active in service frigates and 4 active in service destroyers.. just smell that coffee.
In that context what is the use of a 10,000km range transport for a flag, cocktail party and a 30mm cannon, prancing all over oceans half a world away ( I’m being a bit fatuous.. but still).
At the very least any rivers 2 not doing vital EEZ security work should be in Northern European waters ( that’s 4 out of 5). Because even an OPV that can escort and keep eyes on as well as launch Autonomous systems is useful in the grey war we have now.
Finally we need to start assuming we are heading to a hot or near hot maritime conflict with Russia and therefore what use will the rivers 2 have in the case.. because they will be used.. anyone thinks sailors will not be sent out in a rivers 2 “ as is” in a existential peer war in European waters is living in fairy land.
So what actually will they need to be equipped with in that case.. it’s no point going “ but they are only OPVs” they are commissioned warships and in a European war they will be targets and combatants that Russia will try to destroy ( they are not UN covered hospital ships).
The one shining light that people often forget with these ships is that they are NOT traditional OPVs, they cost a packet for a reason and that was naval scantlings and survivability, the RN did build these vessels as warships and not commercial standard OPVs, yes they armed them as OPVs but the bones of these ships are warship bones.
Personally I think one of the ways the RN could mitigate its massive frigate hull shortage and the fact the present grey war is in our regional seas is to turn the Rivers 2s into corvettes.. either ASW focused or ASuW focused.. so freeing up the frigates for the high north and Atlantic.
We should get PODS launch containers Brimstone/Martlet/ Sea Venom (all short enough to develope container VLS), as a min that can be plug an played. I know not huge range weapons but to be able to provide point defence for drones/UAV/USV to major assets (as well as thenselves) would make them even more useful. just a thought
Your problem is, doing anything like that will take time and take the focus and money away from the frigate build program, the answer is ploughing every penny we have into getting the frigates built and into service.
Probably not building any quicker, that ship has sailed but getting into service probably could be done quicker.