Making her first visit to Cambodia, Tamar conducted joint training, hosted VIPs and local schoolchildren on board, and experienced the sights of Sihanoukville, which lies about 130 miles southwest of the capital Phnom Penh.

HMS Tamar was welcomed into Ream Naval Base by two Cambodian patrol craft, a guard of honor on the jetty and flowers presented to Commanding Officer Commander Tom Lindsey.

The Royal Cambodian Navy operates around 20 vessels—mostly small and large patrol boats, plus some landing craft, but also the corvette Koh Kong Senchey.

Beyond defending the country’s shoreline, it focuses on countering criminal activities—smuggling, drug running, people trafficking, and piracy—and providing search and rescue for fishermen.

Commander Lindsey discussed current and future practical cooperation between the two countries’ navies with his Cambodian counterparts at Ream Naval Base.

With three visits in three years to Cambodia after a hiatus of more than 60 years, he hopes that reinvigorating links with the country and its navy is a trend which will continue.

“My ship’s company pulled out all the stops in welcoming key leaders from Cambodia’s Royal Navy, government officials, local school children and families,” Cdr Lindsey said.

“In doing so, we showcased what Britain can offer and allowed us to message the importance of prosperity in this region to the UK’s own security and prosperity, enabled through maritime trade. Our respect for sovereignty and the rules-based system, which supports peaceful resolution through dialogue, is part of our national character and is a key part of our mission here in the Indo-Pacific.

“This visit was a great opportunity for my ship’s company to undertake defense engagement in a manner close to their hearts: through sports, including football and volleyball games alongside the Royal Cambodian Navy, with a celebratory barbecue afterwards, and through community outreach supporting a local children’s charity.

“The Royal Cambodian Navy and province of Sihanoukville were great hosts to me and my ship, and I look forward to working with them again. It has been a privilege to bring Tamar to Cambodia for the first time—and for it to be the Royal Navy’s first visit to Ream Naval Base makes it doubly special.”

Cambodian sailors were invited on board Tamar for medical and damage control training alongside their British counterparts, spanning trauma care at sea and preventing flooding.

The British ship hosted an evening reception for government officials, military representatives, members of the diplomatic community, business leaders and regional leaders.

The crew also welcomed local primary school pupils, who got to don fire-fighting kit and spray water over the side of the ship, before finishing with board games and drawing in the wardroom.

Half a century since the atrocities and genocide of the Pol Pot regime—more than one and a quarter million Cambodians were murdered—the executions and maltreatment continue to cast a long shadow on the country.

That was underlined to sailors on a tour of the city center, which was organized by the naval base commander to showcase the beauty of the royal palace but also the atrocities which have occurred in Cambodia’s recent history through a visit to the killing fields.

Among the legacies of the Pol Pot regime is its continuing impact on the country’s youth: more than half of Cambodia’s children drop out of school, physical abuse is widespread, as is poverty and nutritional problems which impact physical growth.

The M’lop Tapang organization offers a shelter and support for children and young people in Sihanoukville and a team from Tamar headed to its HQ to spruce up the facilities, giving recreational facilities and seats and benches a fresh—and bright—new coat of paint.

“A personal highlight for me was going to the children’s charity center to paint the recreation area because we got to help those who had nothing and see the joy in the kids’ faces as we worked together to brighten up the area,” said Leading Medical Assistant Stanex.

Bonds with the Royal Cambodian Navy were strengthened through games of volleyball and football games followed by a joint barbecue.

Based in Portsmouth when operating in UK waters, HMS Tamar is deployed with HMS Spey to the Indo-Asia-Pacific on a long-term mission to support maritime security cooperation, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, counter-IUU (illegal, unreported, and unregulated) fishing activity, defense engagement and partnership-building with regional countries.