London, United Kingdom. The United Kingdom’s Royal Navy is preparing the dock landing ship RFA Lyme Bay to be sent to Cyprus, with the defence ministry placing its crew on heightened readiness ahead of a potential deployment.
Capabilities and role
According to the BBC, the ship is equipped with an aviation platform and has medical facilities, meaning it can play a role in evacuations and medical treatment if required. As a dock landing ship, its main function is to facilitate the delivery of troops, vehicles and ammunition during amphibious assaults.
Previous Cyprus deployment under Amalthea
The RFA Lyme Bay was deployed to Cyprus during the initial phases of the Amalthea humanitarian aid corridor to Gaza in 2023. After arriving in Larnaca and being loaded with cargo, it was hailed as the first shipment of the Amalthea plan, with then UK defence minister Grant Shapps visiting the island and praising the Cypriot government for facilitating the shipment.
The ship later went missing and arrived in Malta some days later. The aid was eventually delivered to Egypt’s Port Said in January 2024 and subsequently transferred over land to Gaza.
Related UK military deployments
The potential deployment comes after the UK announced on Monday the deployment of a Merlin Mk2 helicopter and an engineering team, as well as further AW159 Wildcat helicopters, in addition to the two that arrived last week.
The HMS Dragon, a Type 45 destroyer, is being readied at the port of Portsmouth, after British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced last week its planned deployment to the waters around Cyprus.
Last Thursday, British Defence Secretary John Healey visited Cyprus and met his Cypriot counterpart Vasilis Palmas, promising that top experts had arrived on the island to help coordinate air defences.
What role could RFA Lyme Bay play if it is deployed to Cyprus?