Naval Party 1002 (NP 1002) is directly present in the territory and is composed of both
Royal Navy and
Royal Marine personnel. NP 1002 is responsible for civil administration and enforcement. Its members are tasked with policing and carrying out customs duties. Royal Marines in the territory also reportedly form a security detachment. Prior to 2017, the BIOT Patrol Vessel the MV
Pacific Marlin was based in
Diego Garcia. It was operated by the
Swire Pacific Offshore Group. The MV
Pacific Marlin patrolled the marine reserve all year, and since the marine reserve was designated in April 2010, the number of apprehensions of illegal vessels within the area has increased. The ship was built in 1978 as an oceangoing tug. It is 57.7 metres long with a draft of 3.8 metres and gross tonnage 1,200. It has a maximum speed of 12.5 knots with an economic speed of 11 knots, permitting a range of about 18,000 nautical miles and fuel endurance of 68 days. It was the oldest vessel in the Swire fleet.
Pacific Marlin reportedly spent about 54% of her taskings on Fishery Patrol duties and a further 19% on military patrol duties. In 2016 a new contract was signed with Scottish-based North Star Shipping for the use of the vessel MV
Grampian Frontier. She is a 70-metre vessel carrying up to 24 personnel and fulfills both the patrol and research role. In 2022,
Grampian Frontier tracked a Mauritian-charted vessel temporarily bringing Chagossian exiles to Blenheim reef in the archipelego. The
Royal Navy also maintains two
offshore patrol vessels in the Indo-Pacific region, and . Either may be periodically employed for sovereignty protection and other duties in BIOT waters. HMS
Tamar paid a rare visit to the islands in February/March 2023 conducting fisheries protection and other missions. ==See also==