ORANJESTAD, WILLEMSTAD - Last night, the Coast Guard radar system in the Caribbean detected a suspicious contact heading towards Aruba.
The contact was a vessel suspiciously sailing towards the island from Venezuela's territorial waters. This was reason for the Rescue and Coordination Center of the Coast Guard and the Aruba support center to take action. A Metal Shark, with a team of coast guards and Aruban militia on board, was directed to the location of the vessel.
On arrival, a vessel was found in a very bad state of repair with 14 undocumented people on board. The group also brought native animals including, 1 fighting rooster and 19 parrots, and a pack of suspected steroid ampoules.
All Venezuelans who tried to enter the island illegally have been handed over to the Warda Nos Costa and the Aruba Police Force. The veterinary service has taken the native animals. The Public Health Service was also present to test the persons on COVID-19.
Using a non-seaworthy boat involves a lot of risk to complete the trip to the ABC islands. The Coast Guard warns people not to embark on these trips. It is known that the boats used for these crossings are almost without exception not seaworthy and that people on board take a great risk.
The Coast Guard continues its intensive patrols to guard the maritime borders of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire. For the patrol, the Coast Guard receives assistance from the Ministry of Defense in the form of the station ship Zr.Ms. Groningen.