US donates patrol boat to Guyana

By Latoya Giles
With more emphasis being placed on strengthening the borders and better patrolling the waterways in Guyana, three spanking new 500 horsepower boats were handed over to the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard by the United States government yesterday.
The boats which were built in the US by Metal Shark Aluminum Boats at a total cost of

Two of the Metal Shark Aluminum Boats

US$l.7M were handed over to President Donald Ramotar by US Ambassador D. Brent Hardt. This was done in the presence of Army Chief, Brig. Mark Phillips.
According to Ambassador Hardt, the boats are the first U.S.-built boats that will be used by the Guyana Defence Force’s Coast Guard. Hardt said that he is positive that the boats will be a valuable addition to the Coast Guard fleet.
Ambassador Hardt asserted that the boats come equipped with state of the art communications capabilities to ensure timely sharing of information and operational coordination.  “Today’s handover of the Metal Shark vessels marks the beginning of a new chapter in Guyana-United States relations as we deepen our work together to combat trans-national organized crime, ensure freedom of commerce and navigation on inland waterways and, most importantly, ensure the safety and security of the people of Guyana,” Ambassador Hardt posited.
He noted that in preparation for the handover, U.S and Guyanese military forces have been conducting training in the operation and maintenance of the vessels and in marine patrols and interdiction.
The Ambassador explained that the handover of the state of the art patrol boats, communications equipment and ongoing training and support represent part of a broader and more comprehensive regional security partnership through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), which was initiated by President Obama at the 2009 Summit of the Americas and jointly launched with Caribbean countries in Washington in 2010.
He said that through the CBSI initiative the United States has also delivered an integrated biometrics fingerprint system to digitize Guyana’s fingerprint records system and introduce multilateral information sharing within CARICOM and with U.S. law enforcement agencies.
Commander- in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Donald Ramotar said that Guyana has a long relationship with the US on security matters.

US Ambassador D Brent Hardt hands over the keys to President Donald Ramotar

The President told the gathering that he is confident that the boats will make a valuable contribution to the work of the security forces in Guyana and while Guyana is still a poor country with many needs to be fulfilled, especially the need to ensure that the nation is secured and its people are protected.
He noted that the collaboration between the two countries must be commended. President Ramotar said that the boats will definitely enhance the army’s capability to combat crime. He was fulsome in praise for Ambassador Hardt who he said took a personal interest in Guyana’s defence capability. The Ambassador was also responsible for the heightened improvement in the relations between Guyana and the United States.