– capable of responding to all maritime emergencies
IN light of the growing maritime emergencies, especially in the Pomeroon River area, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard is expected to commission the first-ever ‘floating base’ nearest to the mouth of the Pomeroon River at the end of June this year. The floating base was constructed for the GDF Coast Guard by Courtney Benn Construction Services Limited (CBCSL) at a cost of $36.1M; and will be the ‘mother ship’ and main base for responding to reports of piracy and other maritime emergencies. Its operation will be backed up by two boats equipped with outboard engines.
Coast Guard bases already exist at Fort Island, Essequibo River; Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, Berbice; and Morawhanna, Region 1 (Barima/Waini) North West District, which were established to respond to all reports relative to maritime distress — search-and-rescue operations and patrol duties covering from Waini Point in Region 1 to # 61 Village in the Corentyne, East Berbice, Region 6.
The Coast Guard is also working collaboratively with the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Marine Patrol, the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC).
However, on Thursday, 8 March 2012, Dr. Luncheon disclosed that Cabinet had decided that maritime safety had to be more aggressively pursued. “That is in terms of the regulations, in terms of inspection and in terms of enforcement, particularly at ports, wharves and the private stellings that abound on the coast of Guyana,” he said.
He added that the welfare of fisherfolk and seafarers had to be better attended, which called for an enhanced level of organisation among them to enhance their engagements with their employers and vessel owners and operators.
Cabinet had also decided that vessels must be equipped with communication devices to provide early warnings, a move that would be made mandatory if necessary.
Dr. Luncheon noted that amendments would have to be made to the Shipping Act to bring in force the last option. He added that the issue of floating bases was discussed at the February meeting of the Defence Board.
“We had concluded that (for) those floating bases that were being constructed, we would hasten from which in the most initial period suitable boats crewed by the Coast Guard would be secured and would do patrolling; and, of course, the rapid response to not only piracy but also this issue of tragedies at sea,” he explained.
Dr. Luncheon, who is also Secretary of the Defence Board, said there was also a submission before the body for additional and newer categories of territorial seagoing vessels for the marine arm of the police and the Coast Guard.
The floating bases and boats to patrol the territorial sea (12 miles from land base) are “ultra short term” measures, he said, while the acquisition of suitable seagoing vessels to do the patrolling and the maritime response farther afield in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) would be a long-term goal.
Meanwhile, on February 9, 2012, during a meeting with affected fisherfolk after the piracy attack in the Atlantic Ocean in the vicinity of the Pomeroon River mouth, in which 19 fishing boats were robbed of engines, seines, fuel etc, where also the fishermen were repeatedly beaten and locked in a small cabin without food and water for hours by a group of pirates in Essequibo, Coast Guard Commander Orin Porter said the GDF recently acquired a newly built pontoon (floating base) which is equipped specially to patrol on the high seas, as a form of security for fishermen; and that two other boats would be patrolling the waters twice weekly.