Britain has deployed the Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Trent to Jamaica to support disaster relief after Hurricane Melissa. The Ministry of Defence and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said the ship arrived in storm‑damaged Falmouth on 4 November 2025 with specialist personnel and equipment to assist local authorities.
HMS Trent carries a 75‑strong crew, including engineers tasked to work ashore on infrastructure assessments and emergency repairs in coordination with Jamaican officials. Small boats, quadbikes and onboard drones will move teams inland and provide aerial imagery to target priority repairs and reopen access routes.
The Royal Navy maintains a hurricane‑season presence in the Caribbean and had pre‑positioned HMS Trent with an Operational Liaison and Reconnaissance Team in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Following discussions with the Government of Jamaica, the ship was requested to sail on Monday 3 November 2025.
Humanitarian support is tied to a £7.5 million UK aid package for the region: £2.5 million announced on 29 October followed by a further £5 million on 31 October. Funding is enabling delivery of more than 3,000 shelter kits and over 1,500 solar‑powered lanterns, alongside deploying UK humanitarian and technical experts.
Consular support has been scaled up. The FCDO has Rapid Deployment Teams in Jamaica and invited British nationals to register their presence, while charter flights are being arranged to supplement commercial capacity with priority for vulnerable travellers.
Operational coordination will run through Jamaican authorities, with the UK working alongside regional and international partners including the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and UN agencies to ensure aid reaches priority areas.
The scale of need is significant. Reuters reports at least 50 deaths across the Caribbean and extensive power outages in Jamaica after Melissa’s Category 5 landfall, underscoring the volume of infrastructure work now required.
Ministers framed the UK contribution as military support to a civilian‑led response. Defence Secretary John Healey and Minister for the Caribbean Chris Elmore said Royal Navy and Army specialists would bolster local recovery efforts with engineering expertise and logistics.
For local authorities and relief agencies, HMS Trent’s immediate remit covers structural safety checks, emergency repairs to utilities and transport links, and reconnaissance to identify isolated communities. Needs assessments led by the Jamaican government and partners will shape any additional UK support and tasking.