HMS Lancaster has intercepted a major narcotics shipment in the Gulf of Oman, with over £35 million worth of illegal drugs recovered after a high-speed skiff was stopped by Royal Marine snipers.
The action began at dawn with the launch of Lancaster’s 815 NAS Wildcat helicopter to conduct routine overwatch. The crew identified three skiffs travelling at speed and began covertly tracking them. Intelligence was relayed back to the frigate, enabling the launch of the ship’s Peregrine RWUAS to maintain undetected surveillance, feeding live imagery directly to the operations room.
After returning to refuel and embark a Maritime Sniper Team from 42 Commando, the Wildcat rejoined the scene and closed in for the intercept. On sighting the helicopter, the skiff crews accelerated to more than 40 knots and began discarding packages into the sea. Two of the craft were abandoned, but one continued to flee. Royal Marines engaged using disabling fire, striking the engine with a single round to bring the vessel to a stop. Lancaster’s sea boats recovered the drifting narcotics and located a partially submerged abandoned skiff.
Skiffs monitored by Peregrine RWUAS.
The operation resulted in the seizure of more than 1.5 tonnes of heroin, crystal methamphetamine, and hashish. This marks the second significant haul by HMS Lancaster in 2025, following a £30 million drugs seizure in May. It is also the first known use of non-lethal disabling fire by Royal Marines in the Gulf region, a technique more commonly used in counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean.
HMS Lancaster is expected to return to the UK soon and finally decommission in November. It is possible she will be replaced in the Gulf by a Batch II OPV.