Work is due to start on a new British naval base in Bahrain, which aims to deter regional threats and maintain security in the Gulf and wider region.

UK Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond signed a memorandum of understanding with Bahrain’s government in December to set up a permanent naval base in the country. It is expected to accommodate Britain’s new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers and Type 45 destroyers.

A report in British national newspaper The Telegraph on December 4 last year stated that the new UK base in Bahrain would cost BD8.6 million ($22.6 million) and would be an upgrade of the facilities currently used by the four British minehunters working in the Gulf.