Cooperation between Royal Moroccan Navy and Royal UK Navy has gained momentum with the joint search & rescue training conducted by divers using a hand-held sonar at Ksar Sghir Naval Base, northern Morocco.
According to a Royal Navy press release, a four-strong dive team and an engineer from the Gibraltar Clearance Diving Element took part in
the exercise with their Vahana-class diving support boat.
The first day of the exercise included visits from Moroccan clearance divers onboard HMS Dagger and the support boat, where the crews demonstrated the capabilities and equipment utilized by naval personnel based in Gibraltar.
On the second day, all personnel met at Ksar Sghir Naval Base, where they were welcomed by Commodore Mounir Tamim RMN, Commandant of the Royal Moroccan Navy Diving School.
Following introductions and tours of the Moroccan diving capabilities and equipment, the dive crews began briefing for their joint diving serial.
The serial was led by Lieutenant Essaadi RMN and involved two Royal Navy divers each leading a team of three Moroccan divers in using the Artemis Pro handheld sonar device to locate a missing person – represented by a weighted mannequin during the exercise.
Despite interference from underwater contacts detected by the sonar, the combined diving teams successfully located the missing ‘person’ within minutes, demonstrating the adaptability and skill of both nations and providing truly essential training.
“We were exceptionally well hosted throughout our time and were delighted with the Royal Moroccan Navy’s enthusiasm to further develop the content of the exercise and potentially increase the frequency of our interactions”, said Lt Ryan Price, HMS Dagger’s Commanding Officer.
This exercise builds on strong friendship ties existing between the two countries and enables Morocco to test new life-saving equipment in underwater search and rescue operations.
