Sailors treated in hospital over contaminated water on Royal Navy warship HMS Portland
4 February 2023, 00:01 | Updated: 4 February 2023, 00:58
British sailors have required hospital treatment after a Royal Navy warship had an "issue" with one of its fresh water systems.
HMS Portland returned to Portsmouth today following the incident and an investigation into what happened is under way.
According to reports, drinking water on board the vessel had been contaminated.
Following the incident, a spokesperson for the Royal Navy said in a statement: "We can confirm that HMS Portland has returned to HMNB Portsmouth as a precautionary measure, following an issue with one of the ship's fresh water systems.
"The health and safety of our personnel is of the utmost importance and we are taking a number of measures to safeguard the ship's company whilst the issue is investigated."
He added: "A small number of personnel were taken to hospital as a precaution and HMS Richmond has been stood up to cover any contingencies."
A Ministry of Defence source told The Telegraph the situation was caused by “human error” and that individual involved “owned up straight away”.
“The individual made a mistake and informed their chain of command. It’s really unfortunate, and their integrity should be acknowledged," they said, adding that,“fewer than 30” personnel have been affected by drinking the contaminated water.
Last month, HMS Portland tracked the movements of a Russian warship in the North Sea.
The Type 23 frigate monitored Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov and accompanying tanker Kama as they sailed in international waters close to the UK.
The Royal Navy ship was joined by Norwegian coast guard vessel Bergen, as the Russian ships moved south through the Norwegian Sea.
HMS Portland had a major refit in 2021 and is adept at surface warfare and hunting submarines, the Royal Navy said.
The vast ship weighs 4,900 tonnes, and has a top speed of over 28 knots.
