The HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer, will conduct operations to ensure freedom of navigation, reassure merchant vessels and ensure the safe flow of trade, the UK defence ministry has said, AFP reports.

“It is critical that the UK bolsters our presence in the region, to keep Britain and our interests safe from a more volatile and contested world,” said Defence Secretary Grant Shapps.

The ministry said around 50 large merchant ships each day pass through the Bab-el-Mandeb, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, while around 115 major merchant ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

The waters of the Gulf, it said, are vital routes for merchant shipping, including for tankers carrying much of the UK’s supply of liquefied natural gas.

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