The Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Mersey arrives in Bermuda on Tuesday morning ahead of its seven-month deployment in the North Atlantic.

The ship sailed from its home port of Portsmouth on January 6 and is scheduled to remain alongside in Hamilton until she departs on Saturday.

Over the coming months, HMS Mersey is tasked with providing “security and assurance” to Britain’s overseas territories in the Caribbean region and carrying out counter-narcotics patrols at sea.

Her crew will also be on standby for disaster relief operations and the vessel is equipped with emergency relief stores, a doctor and a medical team.

Specialist Royal Navy personnel on the ship are trained to go ashore to assess damage, identify priorities and recommend where disaster relief resources are best directed.

HMS Mersey is the youngest of the original batch of River class patrol vessels. She routinely patrols the waters around Britain and up to 200 miles in the Atlantic ensuring that fishing boats and trawlers stick to internationally-agreed quotas.

On Thursday, an open day will be held between 10am and 2pm while the ship is docked at Hamilton Dock 5 on Front Street to allow members of the public on board.