RFA Wave Ruler ( A390 ) RFA " Wave Ruler " is a " Wave " - class fast fleet tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ( RFA ) of the United Kingdom tasked with providing fuel , food , fresh water , ammunition and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world . " Wave Ruler " was built by Kvaerner Govan ( after 1999 , BAE Systems Marine ) and launched in 2001 . She was accepted into service in 2003 and is the 2nd ship to bear this name in RFA service . " Wave Ruler " and her sister " Wave Knight " , were designed to replace " Olna " and " Olwen " , two " Ol " - class 36 , 000 ton fast fleet tankers which were built at Swan Hunter and Hawthorn Leslie in the 1960s . Design . " Wave Ruler " has a standard crew of 80 Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel with provision for a further 22 Royal Navy personnel to conduct helicopter and weapons systems operations . She carries a full medical team and sick bay and is capable of distributing 2 , 000 emergency relief packages in times of crisis . The ship has the capability to supply fuel and other liquid cargo to vessels using replenishment rigs on port and starboard beams and through a Hudson reel - type stern rig . When providing support for amphibious operations , " Wave Ruler " is also able to deliver fuel to dracones positioned alongside . In addition to fuel , the ship carries ammunition and other stores which can be transferred while underway . She can operate a Merlin HM1 helicopter , or other helicopters of similar size , from a hangar and flight deck at the stern . Operational history . 2003 - 2007 . September 2004 saw " Wave Ruler " deployed to the Caribbean to provide hurricance relief operations . In 2006 the ship carried out three major cocaine seizures at sea . In September it recovered £64m of cocaine from an estimated cargo of £500m , after the crew of the fishing boat carrying the drugs set it on fire . On 2 November the ship and its accompanying Royal Marines captured 3 tonnes of cocaine worth £300m . On 29 November it seized a further 2 . 9 tonnes , again from a fishing boat . All the raids took place in the Caribbean . 2008 . On 31 August 2008 " Wave Ruler " was dispatched with " HMS Iron Duke " to assist relief efforts in the Caribbean for the Atlantic Hurricane Gustav . The vessels distributed food , water and first aid supplies to victims of the disaster as well as providing support restoring local infrastructure . On 3 October 2008 the ship docked in Havana , Cuba . This was only the second time since the country ' s revolution 50 years earlier that a Royal Navy ship had visited the country . The five - day stay was part of an ongoing anti - drugs operation in the Caribbean , which saw the ship spend much of 2005 - 2008 in the region , confiscating over 13 tonnes of cocaine in total . On 8 November 2008 the ship was sent to the Cayman Islands to provide humanitarian relief assistance in the wake of Hurricane Paloma . 2009 - 2011 . In June 2009 , she took part in exercise Bersama Shield with HMS " Ocean " and HMS " Somerset " off the Malay Peninsula . During February 2010 , " Wave Ruler " and the destroyer HMS " York " were deployed to the Falkland Islands during a period of increased tension between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the former ' s plans to begin drilling for oil in the seas surrounding the islands . While in the South Atlantic , " Wave Ruler " took part in the rescue of an I - Kiribati sailor who was taken seriously ill , refuelling an RAF 1564 Search and Rescue Flight Sea King helicopter while in flight . The deployment also saw the ships visit Southern Thule in the Southern Sandwich Islands , the first British warships to visit the islands for nearly 10 years . November 2010 saw the vessel back in the Caribbean , where she distributed 160 tonnes of fresh water and 32 , 000 water purification tablets in St . Lucia after the effects of Hurricane Tomas . The deployment also saw the vessel visit Antigua and the British Overseas Territory of Grand Cayman . " Wave Ruler " spent the summer and autumn of 2011 again in the Caribbean deployed as Britain ’ s Atlantic Patrol Ship ( North ) . She embarked a Mk 8 Lynx helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron for the duration . 2012 . In October 2012 , " Wave Ruler " transited the Suez Canal and took over from RFA " Fort Victoria " as Gulf Readiness Tanker . The Gulf Readiness Tanker operates in support of UKMCC Bahrain .