ABU DHABI // British navy personnel on shore leave have been given safety warnings in light of the disappearance of sailor Timmy MacColl in Dubai last year, a naval commander said yesterday.
Capt Iain Lower, of HMS Dragon, which was docked in Abu Dhabi yesterday, said all staff had been given instructions to always be aware where shipmates are while on shore leave as well as to stay in communication with the ship.
"The crew were told to understand where they are and always have knowledge of where their shipmates are, as well as staying in constant communications with the boat," he said.
In May last year, Scottish-born seaman MacColl, who was 28 at the time, vanished while on shore leave in Dubai after his ship, HMS Westminster, docked at Port Rashid.
The father's disappearance sparked a widespread search by the British navy and Dubai Police but he has still not been found.
"We are adamant we will not let that happen again," said Capt Lower. "It has been a year since seaman MacColl's disappearance and we are taking this very seriously."
HMS Dragon's 230 crew members will be soon be on shore leave in Dubai after a three-and-a-half-month deployment in the Arabian Gulf as part of the Combined Maritime Task Force 152, which conducts maritime security operations.
"I have personally spoken to the seamen and told them that we have to take this very seriously as we do not want this to happen again, although it could happen anywhere in the world," Capt Lower said.
He added that HMS Dragon crew would be on shore leave within the next week and would have rest and recreation time on land while the ship undergoes maintenance.
"I want our crew to enjoy themselves while on shore leave, enjoy the UAE culture and that side of life here but also be vigilant and in constant communication," he said.
HMS Dragon is a type 45 class destroyer that is one of the Royal navy's newest warships.
"The ship is on its first deployment after being commissioned by the royal navy in April last year," Capt Lower said, adding that it possesses the British navy's most advanced air defence capabilities, including the Aegis Combat System, an integrated naval weapons system.
The 7,800-tonne boat is described as a world-class air defence multi-role ship designed to protect UK, allied and coalition forces against all kinds of airborne threats and has the capacity to hold 700 people on board, for evacuations from conflict areas.
"We are deployed in the Arabian Gulf for seven months with our deployment ending in October,"he said.
During the ship's first three and a half months, the ship has not been involved in any incidents.
However, it was involved in the recent minesweep exercises near the Strait of Hormuz.
"We were involved in exercises with the UAE navy patrol vessels in securing the passage of a Qatari-flagged, Shell-owned liquid natural gas merchant ship across the Strait," he said.
Working with GCC navies through the task force, he said, had been hugely beneficial. "All the GCC countries that are part of CTF 152 are with us on the combined operations room and are constantly sharing information," he said. "We have a GCC liaison officer on board and we have many visits from GCC officers on board regularly and they have many capabilities, which combine well with ours."
Capt Lower said the presence of HMS Dragon was part of the British government's policy in securing and stabilising the region.
"We have had a constant presence in the Arabian Gulf for the past 33 years - since 1980 - and we are very proud to be deployed first to this region," he said.
