Lt Harkin, a warfare officer in the Royal Navy, has just returned from a six-month deployment to the Far East

LIEUTENANT James Harkin has recently returned to Jersey after helping to police some of the most crime-ridden waters in the world.

Lt Harkin, a warfare officer in the Royal Navy, served on board HMS Somerset during the UK’s largest naval task force deployment in over a decade.

The anti-piracy operation saw more than ten warships, tankers and a nuclear submarine sail half way around the world under UK command.

Over the past six months, Lt Harkin and his team have carried out operations in the Mediterranean, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean, Malacca Straits between Malaysia and Indonesia and the South China Sea.

The team also trained a number of countries in board-and-search techniques, including the Yemeni Coastguard.

Lt Harkin, who was responsible for sailing the ship and conducting boarding operations, said: ‘This was a fantastic and rare opportunity to support a state that has to deal with extensive piracy and terrorist activity in their waters.

‘The Gulf of Aden is home to significant illegal activity, such as arms smuggling into Iraq and Afghanistan. My team has been heavily involved in training the Yemen Coastguard to deal with this threat themselves, rather than rely solely on international support.’

Lt Harkin – the son of the Rev John Harkin, the Rector of St Ouen, and his wife Sue – and his team have also worked with countries including Cyprus, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

He added: ‘It is vital that these countries have the ability to counter illegal activity in their territory to prevent the global flow of weapons and drugs as well as people trafficking.’