THE Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard flagship, GDFS Essequibo, was yesterday opened to members of the public, primarily officers’ families, as part of the Army’s ongoing 45th anniversary celebrations. Chief Marine Engineering Officer (CMEO), Wesley Gordon, told the Guyana Chronicle that the vessel is a floating industry that makes significant contributions to the development of Guyana’s economy.
“Our capability to do maintenance and surveillance is very important. We support economic development because of the work the Coast Guard does to monitor and protect our resources,” he said.
Gordon said the ship generates its power and boasts a fresh water distribution and sewage systems, among other facilities, can carry and sustain 50 persons on board for as many as 25 days.
“The more patrolling we do, the better we protect our resources,” he said, referring to Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which is 200 nautical miles long, a vast expanse for one craft to patrol.
“It is like looking for a needle in a haystack,” Gordon remarked.   
However, he said, with the increasing inclusion of technology, which is continuously evolving, patrolling becomes more effective.
“We can do more to improve our patrolling and clamp down on some of the issues we face,” Gordon said.
He mentioned that piracy is one of the many challenges but said, with the operations of the Coast Guard, that will soon be arrested, to a large extent, if not fully.
Other issues include preventing extensive narcotics smuggling, deterring illegal foreign fishing vessels and effectively protecting offshore oil and gas exploration platforms.
“The Coast Guard is improving but we need more vessels and more human resources,” Gordon maintained.
He said their current mandate is being executed but he agreed that, with more vessels and human resources to man them, there can be improvements in the impact the Coast Guard makes.
Gordon reiterated that the Coast Guard affects change on the economic scene and is committed to continuing in this direction.
Since its acquisition in 2001, the GDFS Essequibo has been rehabilitated at a cost of $350M, a process that began last year and was completed this year.
Before the rehabilitations, its serviceability was below 50 per cent and now it is nearer 95 per cent, with some minor kinks still to be worked out, Gordon said.
He added: “Compared to our Caribbean counterparts, we are near the level they have.”
The GDFS Essequibo is a converted 16-year-old British minesweeper, formerly HMS Orwell.