Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro has ordered more than 5,600 military personnel to participate in “defensive” exercises, after the UK deployed a warship to waters off the coast of Guyana in a show of support for the former British colony.

Maduro said he was launching an action “of a defensive nature in response to the provocation and threat of the UK against peace and the sovereignty of our country”.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Sunday announced that it would send the patrol vessel HMS Trent to Guyana, amid a simmering territorial dispute that began when Maduro renewed Venezuela’s claim to the oil-rich Essequibo region.

The 62,000 sq mile (160,000 sq km) Essequibo region is generally recognised as part of Guyana but, in recent years, Venezuela has revived its claim to the territory and offshore areas after major oil and gas discoveries.