HMAS Toowoomba has completed the first patrol of her six month deployment to the Middle East, as the first Australian ship to be assigned to the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) in support of international efforts to maintain freedom of navigation, international law, and the free flow of commerce in the Middle East region (MER).

Tasked to conduct Operation Sentinel duties promoting the safe passage of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, over a two week period, Toowoomba provided overwatch for more than 35 IMSC supported vessels and flew more than 25 sorties with her embarked MH-60R maritime helicopter providing surveillance and security for merchant shipping passing through the area.

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Commanding Officer, Commander Mitchell Livingstone said Toowoomba was the first Australian warship to join the IMSC.

"The ship split the patrol between the Southern Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and provided an overt presence and overwatch in the approaches to the Strait of Hormuz," CMDR Livingstone said.

During the patrol Toowoomba conducted a replenishment at sea (RAS) with the US Navy's USNS Supply, to top up fuel supplies.

"USNS Supply is the largest oiler Toowoomba has ever replenished with her bulk and scale approximately four times that of Toowoomba, yielding an impressive sight for our crew," CMDR Livingstone said.