* Original Article – Must Quote Barbados Free Press *
HMBS Trident To Be Replaced – Chinese Likely Source
The Government of Barbados has been engaged in serious negotiations with Communist China for a replacement for the aging Barbados Coast Guard Patrol Vessel, HMBS Trident, a confidential source informs Barbados Free Press.
“The Trident’s engines are finished, especially the port which has shaft problems, but the vessel is generally EOL (end of life) all round” said BFP’s source over bottle of beer last week.
“Chinese chaps were out inspecting the vessel at least twice earlier in the year and they went for a cruise in May…”
Our source has no idea of what the Chinese are asking Barbados for in the way of concessions or payments as he/she is not privy to the political side of the issue.
Command Officers Asked For Names Of Core Crew
The source states that the Command Officers have been asked to submit a list of names for a “core training crew” that would presumeably become more closely involved with taking on a new patrol vessel – perhaps even undergoing training in China and then delivering the vessel to Barbados.
How urgent is the need for a replacement?
Says BFP’s source: “She (HMBS Trident) has been under RPM restrictions since last January. Given the normal lead time of several years, a new replacement will not appear overnight. There is a chance that the Chinese will offer to de-commission an existing (ie: used) coastal patrol vessel, which would be quite an acceptable proposal at this stage.”
BFP Photo by Shona: HMBS Trident Cranks Up After Time In Harbour
Barbados Free Press 
Trident cost Bajan Taxpayers 30 million dollars.
purchased from(I believe) a UK firm called Brooke Marine.
Biggest goddam waste of taxpayer money ever. It spent 90+% of its life tied up,alongside. Useless buncha JUNK.
Typical of why small island nations ‘need’ a vessel like this. Quite useless!
And here we go again, buying another buncha junk.
Maybe we could call it Buncha Junk II, especially since it would be of Chinese origin…wouldn’t that be an appropriate name for it?
haha
look, yall criticising barbados partnership with china getting old … and it’s extremely stupid. china is to be the world’s next superpower and in case you haven’t realized, barbados needs all the aid and friends it can get. would you prefer we distance ourselves with all countries who are ‘evil’ (which can be all the now powerful states) and try to survive on our own? grow up already with these stupid critiques.
No-one criticized Barbados’ relationship with the world’s next superpower
(God help us)…
what was criticized was the perceived necessity for replacing Buncha Junk 1, which has, for the last 30 yrs.or so, proved its worthlessness,
other than parking it off Sandy Lane Bay when some Prezident is having lunch there… pretending “we have warship,too”!
We don’t need a replacement for Trident, not from Bequia, not from USA,
not from Brooke Marine,in the uk,
not from nuhbody,
coz we ain’t got nuh nuses for it
other than to park it up dey!
THAT’s what I was trying to get thru..
but comprehension skills are lacking.
On the other hand,
maybe you are the middle man running an import/export agency
which will handle the new Chinese made Buncha Junk 2,
and your profits from this pending deal
will finish your Big House in The Heights AND buy you and D.Wife a pair of flashy new Benzes,
and so I must apologise for throwing this spannner in your ambitious works.
Sorry,man..
Listen ‘Yo’, read back all of the assanine posts made about Barbados and China thus far by BFP and see who “isn’t” criticising the relationship. I didn’t look at your stupid post so don’t direct your reply to me.
Only Anonymous considers posts on China’s human rights abuses to be “assinine”.
He probably did business with the government of South Africa when “coloureds” were forbidden to marry “darkies”
YOU need to get with it. There are times when you have to overlook things for your benefit. Who else is rushing to help Barbados? Name three countries. Two even. NOBODY is rushing to help Barbados in anything…and we’re to turn down China? Grow up already.
Anonymous, Barbados needs to help itself first. Why should anybody be “rushing to help Barbados”?
Barbados doesn’t need help.
WE are INDEPENDENT.
What brown-nosing attitude is this.
Are we kissing-up, in order to survive?
And again I ask Bajans.
WHO WILL WE BELONG TO,
in one hundred years??
coz dis mock-“Independence” ting
en’t lasting!!
Anonymous, Barbados needs to help itself first.
name the ways it can do it… name it, since u seem to be an expert at governance.
will we develop industries? if so how? and which? and how will we viably compete with the industries of others? even those of trinidad? furthermore the more competitive industries of larger states?
tell me, oh seer. how exactly can barbados go about helping itself?
don’t the countries in the EU help each other? don’t the industrialized states help each other? why then should barbados rely on “helping itself”?
GROW UP.
if you think barbados doesn’t need help then you’re clearly living in fairyland. say hello to peter pan for me, please.
Hey Jason, Anonymous sounds like a government shill. U r right. In Europe he/she would have been saying “well, the nazis are killing the Jews anyway so what does it matter that we do business with them?”
Money is obviously more important than anything else according to Anonymous. Someday HE will call this person to account.
I can see where is Anonymous is coming from, but for God sake ya got to have some sort of consience. Ya mean just kiss up to whoever sharing way de sweets . Maybe a name change to Whorebados might be prudent as well . How can you expect to do things in this fashion and then be surprised when people don’t respect the law .
Thats why i always feel real nervous about tourism being our main money earner, too much damn ass kissing and brown nosing required . We are at the mercy of the US and Europe .
Anyhow i guess thats why most politicians end up corrupt , the system is corrupt so just blend in .
Pingback: Barbados Needs A New Offshore Patrol Vessel « Barbados Free Press
I AM A FORMER U.S. ARMY SERGEANT. I HAVE BARBADIAN PARENTS. I AM BEWILDERED AS TO WHY THE BARBADOS GOVERNMENT AND THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE WOULD WAIT 27 YEARS FOR THEIR ONLY DEEPWATER CRAFT TO GO OUT OF COMMISION. IT IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL THAT BARBADOS HAVE A VESSEL OF TRIDENT’S DISPLACEMENT , SPEED , CREW , MULTIROLE CAPABILITIES AND ARMAMENT. TRIDENT HAS SERVED THE LOCAL COAST GUARD VERY WELL , BUT HER TIME IS UP. IN 27 YEARS, THE COAST GUARD SHOULD HAVE HAD 2 OR SO OFFSHORE VESSELS TO COMPLIMENT THE TRIDENT. THE GOVERNMENT HAS SOME OPTIONS AS FAR AS A REPLACEMENT , SWIFTSHIPS CORPORATION IN THE USA HAS 110- 125 FT PCFs , THE U.S . COAST GUARD HAS A FEW 110 FT VESSELS THAT ARE BEING PHASED OUT OF SERVICE BECAUSE OF THEIR “DEEPWATER PROJECT” . CHINA IS NOT KNOWN FOR MANUFACTURING NAVAL SMALL COMBATANT CRAFT , WHEREAS THE U.S. IS THE LEADING SUPPLIER.
Hi DP
Nice to see you stopping around, and we couldn’t agree with you more.
Point of convention, old chap…
Writing in all-caps is considered YELLING. Upper and lower are preferred unless you are yelling.
Thanks for contributing your very knowledgeable comments.
sorry to hear trident ending its days .. to have lasted so long a tribute to its barbados crews ,can we have it back in lowestoft as a museum ship.I was on sea trial in the north sea it went like a bute my ears were still ringing from sitting between the engines for hours.good luck with your new vessel. ross mckie
ps brooke marine no longer exist
still hasnot arrived back in lowestoft as a museum just one question why did it carry so many liferafts,
hi ross, my ears ring too (you will know why) she is still a great ship just too old and expensive to run……..by the way she was primarialy a search and rescue ship.
If the Barbados Government had a strategic vision toward a replacement of the Trident it should be in the form a SWATH design. SWATH means Small Water Area Twin Hull, or a better known as a Catamaran design.
HSV 2 Swift operated by U.S. Southern Command is precisely what the region needs and Barbados should seriously consider this type of vessel as the replacement, for the following reasons;
It is able to conduct both tactical near shore and strategic deep water operations with ease.
It is capable in excess of 45 knot speeds, drug running boats beware.
It has roll-on roll-off (RORO) capability which allows rapid loading and unloading of mechanized infantry or shallow water beach infil/exfil assaults possible. maximum depth required is only 6 ft. which means it can back right up to any beach and deploy its 60 ft stern ramp.
It can carry up to 40 vehicles of all types or a complete mechanized infantry platoon, in addition to 250 personnel with all kit.
It is able to operate helicopters up to 65,000 lbs which allows a wide variety of rotor craft to be employed up to the Sikorsky SH-60 Jay Hawk or CH-46 Sea Knight.
As a disaster response vessel it has no equal, being able to bring in up to 500 tons of humanitarian relief aid to an affected area within hours of a catastrophic event. In addition, being able to operate a helicopter allows medevac operations to begin almost immediately.
It can launch and recover RHIBS (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat Small) while at speed, in excess of 20 knots, while simultaneously operating a helicopter as Maritime Combat Air Patrol (MCAP)
It can be armed with a variety of self defense weapons, not that the BCG knows anything other than a 50 cal or the Ma Deuce as we call it, but having the capability of being able to launch a preemptive strike against a hostile sea borne adversary is always a good option to have.
Weapons options include;
Up to 4 – 20mm Phalanx multi – barrel cannon close in weapons systems. These are essentially a navalized version of the super reliable M-61 Vulcan cannon built by GE for the U.S. Air Force.
Twin launchers Port and Starboard with up to 16 RAM missiles apiece. RAM is manufactured by Raytheon Sea Systems and is designed to combat sea skimming Anti Ship Missiles.
Twin 57mm Mk 110 Naval Gun Mounts manufactured by BAE Systems with a variety of ammunition for all applications.
Up to 12 BAE Systems Sting Ray ALW Mk 4 Topedoes. Can sink ships up to 6000 yards away and can be air launched from helicopters too.
Couple all these armament options to a Navalized version of Raytheon’s APG 79 Actively Electronically Scanned Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar System and you have an unequaled Maritime Patrol and Combat capable platform that positions the strategic requirements of the region as a whole on an enviable platform with tactical, reconnaissance and training capability never before experienced, and with an equally long term time frame of 30 plus years.
Cost $ 86 Million U.S. (no weapons) which is reasonable given the advances in technology and capability for a 30 year plus operational schedule.
Trident should not be decommissioned. It should be used as a training vessel for use by the RSS and the Drug Squad throughout the Caribbean. It is obviously expensive to maintain due to its older design, but a phased program of modernization over a 5 year fiscal expenditure program that includes hands on training for the BCG Engineering and Naval Mechanics, would not only achieve the same result but end up being less costly due to the work being done here in BIM.
BCG would be better off too, more skilled personnel trained and thus a better force all round.