[4] Exploiting her rotational manning system, Echo was deployed on a five-year mission to the Far East, conducting ocean survey and diplomatic visits.

[citation needed] In August 2008 she visited Hong Kong, where her commanding officer laid a wreath at the Stanley Military Cemetery.

In July 2013 Echo was in the central Mediterranean surveying the approaches to the ports of Tripoli and Khoms on the coast of Libya to improve Admiralty charts of the area.

In ten days she found the wrecks of one ocean liner, two merchant ships, one landing craft, two fishing vessels, two barges and two large sunken pontoons.

[10] On 20 March 2014 Echo was in the Persian Gulf[11] when redeployed to an area around 2,400 km (1,500 mi) south west of Perth, Western Australia, to join the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370,[12] in response to a request by the Australian authorities to the British Ministry of Defence.

As of January 2016, Echo was operating in UK waters on fishery protection duties while Mersey was deployed to the Caribbean.

[15] On 21 November 2018, the UK defence secretary announced Echo would deploy to the Black Sea in 2019 for a freedom of navigation manoeuvre in support of Ukraine.