As HMS Ocean prepared to leave for the Caribbean to deliver vital aid in the wake of Hurricane Irma, the Government of Gibraltar have provided ten new 4×4 vehicles as part of the British relief.
The Gibraltar donation also includes £6,500 worth of building materials from Gibraltar Joinery and Building Services and £20,000 worth of general hardware items supplied by the Housing Works Agency. These goods are urgently needed for the communities to undertake the process of repairing and re-building.
Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo QC MP, visited HMS Ocean and said:
“The 4x4s will be loaded last because they will be the first things off when the ship arrives on station. This is so that work can begin immediately helping in the areas we have all seen on the television which are hard to get to because of all the damage and devastation.
I came on board today to see Captain Pedre to wish him well and all the men and women of HMS Ocean. They will be carrying out important work in assisting the British Overseas Territories. The emergency supplies from Gibraltar will go some way to assist in the long term relief efforts.
It is only right that we provide aid and assistance for our fellow British Overseas Territories in this time of urgent need.
The people of Gibraltar are committed deeply to the relationship with the Royal Navy and we wish Godspeed to HMS Ocean.”
HMS Ocean is now on her way to the Caribbean.
Excellent. Well done Gib!
And here is the unreal reality in the UK: “Hurricane Irma: UK’s aid budget cannot be spent on overseas territories” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41258435 So all the costs for the MoD that we had maybe hoped would be defrayed by the Aid Budget now have to find the money elsewhere. And none of those Aid £ Billions are to be spent helping those islanders. I am damn sure the French don’t have this inter-departmental stupidity to contend with. Just relabel it ‘British Aid Budget’ And not ‘Foreign Aid Budget’ and spend it where it is needed. Like on on British citizens who depend… Read more »
It’s not a UK rule, it’s an international rule applied by the OECD and is binding on all member states – including France. The simple solution is below.
Good on Gibraltar.
Here is the truth, my son in the RN said it would eventually leak out: Royal Navy a ‘laughing stock’ with three quarters of its warships out of action and ‘struggling to protect British citizens’ Currently 13 of the Navy’s 19-strong fleet of Type 23 frigates and Type 45 destroyers are unable to go to sea due to a lack of manpower, fuel and supplies, senior military sources have revealed. The cuts to defence spending have also severely hampered Britain’s response to Hurricane Irma. HMS Ocean, the amphibious assault ship that currently serves as the Royal Navy’s flagship, was sent… Read more »
Can’t spend UK aid on Irma relief? Fine. Simple solution: cut the aid budget by a billion, and immediately increase the defence budget by a billion. Then send the ships, the planes, the men, and the supplies. Problem solved.
Gibraltar rocks! Time it had its own MP. Yes, I know all the arguments against such an idea – don’t agree with any of them.
And yes, an MP for the South Atlantic and an MP for the Caribbean too.