WILLEMSTAD - The CARIB Coast Guard celebrates its 25th anniversary this week. This was celebrated on Monday with a limited and modest ceremony due to the Covid-19 measures. Coastguard cake was also cut at the support points of the Coastguard in Aruba, Sint Maarten and Hato.
Frank Boots, the director of the Coast Guard, looked back to the past during his speech and expressed his appreciation to all coast guards. He also looked at the future of the organization in the Caribbean.
The formation of the Coast Guard began in 1993 with the "foundation stones" being laid. It took until December 1995 before the "Provisional regulation of the establishment of the Coast Guard" was signed, the predecessor of the current Coast Guard Act. The official date of the founding of what was then called the Coast Guard for the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba was finally February 1, 1996.
Before its official establishment, the Kingdom Council of Ministers already agreed in 1995 to make the defense units stationed in the West available to the Coast Guard. Within the coast guard organization there is still an integrated deployment of defense resources and defense personnel with local civilian personnel and own units.
"Despite the differences and the complexity of the organization, the Coast Guard works as a whole and acts as such," the director emphasized in his speech.
Just this year, the Coast Guard is on the eve of an important and intensive period. The organization will grow considerably in the coming years thanks to financial support from the Netherlands. According to Boots, this will make the CARIB Coast Guard even better able, together with the chain partners, to monitor the maritime borders.
According to the director, the Coast Guard also wants to celebrate the 25th anniversary with the community. Taking into account the COVID measures, the plan is therefore to celebrate its anniversary with the staff, stakeholders, chain partners and society of the islands throughout the year to show its gratitude for all the support over the past 25 years. The Coast Guard will provide further information on this.