The Royal Navy has delivered 75 tonnes of crucial aid to Commonwealth citizens on Saint Vincent in the Caribbean following a recent volcanic eruption.
Earlier this week, the support ship RFA Wave Knight recently offloaded 135 pallets of emergency assistance in the Caribbean island that was badly affected by the unexpected and violent eruptions of the La Soufrière volcano earlier in April.
The intense volcanic activity has forced the evacuation of the northern half of Saint Vincent, the main island of the Commonwealth nation of St Vincent and the Grenadines, displacing around 14,000 islanders. The eruptions, the first major activity in 40 years, dumped a thick layer of ash over homes and public buildings, and islanders seeking shelter away from the danger zone in temporary camps, where many of the basics of life are in short supply.
Wave Knight, which carries a Royal Navy Wildcat helicopter, disaster relief supplies and thousands of tonnes of fuel, collected an assortment of aid from the people of Barbados and the World Health Organisation during a stop in Bridgetown. Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines then loaded toiletries, sanitary items, cleaning products, dried/tinned food, bottled water, and other essential goods before making the 100-nautical-mile journey west to Saint Vincent.
Just hours later, despite it being well into the night, that aid was being offloaded in Kingstown, the Saint Vincent capital.
Wave Knight left Scotland a fortnight ago to join the Royal Navy's permanent presence in the Caribbean/North Atlantic, the patrol ship HMS Medway.