UK hands over two minehunter ships to Ukraine

Two former Royal Navy minehunter ships which have been handed over to the Ukrainian navy have arrived in Portsmouth as the crews undergo training to prepare them for missions in the Black Sea.

The Sandown-class warships, HMS Grimsby and HMS Shoreham, were decommissioned from the Royal Navy to be transferred to the Ukrainian military where they will operate under the names Chernihiv and Cherkasy. The ships, which each served more than 20 years in the Royal Navy, arrived at Portsmouth Naval Base having sailed from Scotland, Portsmouth News reports.

They will remain based in Portsmouth while crew members undergo training to prepare them to hunt for mines in the Black Sea.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "The ships are currently not able to enter the Black Sea due to the terms of the Montreux Convention, which restricts passage of military vessels through the Bosporus Strait at times of war. However, they will form a critical capability for Ukraine in its future defence of its coastlines as the UK looks to support the longer-term capabilities of the Ukrainian navy, while they look to protect commercial shipping by detecting and disabling sea mines."