A SAILOR from the region has been helping foil piracy and other illegal activities in the Somali Basin on board Royal Navy frigate HMS Chatham.

Kirsty Wilks, of Crook, County Durham, has been on board the 5,300- tonne warship as part of the Nato task force during Operation Ocean Shield.

The six-month operation saw navies from several countries patrolling shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia.

The 22-year-old, who joined the Royal Navy in 2006, specialises in catering and hospitality, and is responsible for looking after any VIPs who might be on board.

During the operation, HMS Chatham has liberated an Indian ship from Somali pirates, rescued 23 seamen during a tropical storm, provided medical treatment for a Liberian tanker crewman and destroyed two small ships after intercepting a group of suspected pirates near Tanzania.

The former pupil of Parkside Comprehensive School, said: “The seizure of the pirate ships was the real highlight of this deployment and just reward for the hard work, dedication and professionalism of the entire ship’s company.”

Last year, on board HMS Bulwark, which is affiliated to County Durham, Ms Wilks took part in Operation Taurus – a series of exercises in the Mediterranean and the Far East.