From fighting pirates in the Indian Ocean to aiding a grounded cruise ship in the Dutch Antilles, RFA Wave Knight has spent a decade serving the global community.The ship arrived yesterday, en route to an assignment patrolling the Caribbean, to meet with local groups including the Bermuda Regiment and Bermuda Police Service.Captain Ross Ferris said: “The Regiment and the police are central to Bermuda’s disaster relief organisation, so we will go to see the Bermuda Regiment and we will talk to them and have a chat and just explain to them what we can offer if something hideous should happen.”The ship will operate in the central Caribbean for most of the coming year but should Bermuda face a natural disaster it could divert here to lend support, Capt Ferris said.“The UK’s policy is to have a ship with a reasonable disaster relief capability in or near the Caribbean 24/7, 365 days a year if we can,” he said.“We are on our way now. Clearly we concentrate on the UK Overseas Territories, and to be able to call into Bermuda on the way is a great thing.“It’s a long way from the central Caribbean, clearly, so if there was a disaster that was likely to hit Bermuda rather than the Caribbean, then I guess we would find ourselves up here. The ship is a fast ship, so we can do over 400 miles in a day so if we chose to come this way, it wouldn’t take us long.”Capt Ferris said the ship will host visits during its five days here, for schoolchildren and cadets.“It’s hugely valuable for the kids themselves,” he said. “They get to see what going to sea is like, they get to meet people from outside Bermuda, which is great. We can talk to them about what going out to sea and being in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary is like and they get a bit of fun as well. I’m sure we can find some jelly or ice cream.“It’s a bit of fun and also a life experience. It’s also an experience for those getting a bit older and starting to wonder which way to go as a career.”Capt Ferris said he only joined Wave Knight a few weeks ago, but both he and the ship have had their share of action. He was awarded the OBE for his service in the second Gulf War on Sir Bedivere, while Wave Knight was in service east of Suez.The ship’s main task has been to refuel ships but it also played a role in anti-piracy work, he said.The crew was responsible for intercepting and fending off pirate attacks against the Handy Tankers Magic and Front Ardennes in a single day in April 2009.Later that year the ship was present for the abduction of Paul and Rachel Chandler by Somali pirates, but was unable to intervene for fear of harming the British couple. The couple were held at ransom for 388 days before being released.“She was central in the Chandler incident where two yachtsmen were seized by pirates. She was very much involved in that,” Capt Ferris said.“Wave Knight has been very much central to anti-piracy work, and also keeping all of the ships that are east of Suez in the multinational force out there topped up in fuel.“Her primary purpose in life is to replenish warships so we have three big replenishment rigs at the stern. She provides services around the globe.”In December the ship came to the assistance of Pride of Hollandia, which ran aground in the Dutch Antilles.The ship will leave Bermuda for Florida later this week, where more maintenance work will be carried out.“We just left the UK in quite a hurry and while the ship is completely capable and everything is working, it’s sensible to do a little more maintenance to get everything up to a higher level of confidence before we get down there,” he said.He said both he and his crew are excited about their new posting.“I’m very much looking forward to it. It’s a very nice part of the world, Bermuda included. I think we are all very much looking forward to it.”