MIAMI —
The Coast Guard interdicted 146 Haitian migrants Aug. 11 about 69 miles north
of Isla De Tortue, Haiti, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release.

The crew
of the Coast Guard Cutter William Trump (WPC-1111) interdicted a 40-foot
migrant sail freighter with 146 migrants aboard. The cutter crew safely
embarked 120 males, 22 females and four minors.

“These
illegal ventures attempting to immigrate to the United States in ill-equipped
and severely overloaded vessels are extremely dangerous, especially during the
hurricane season, when weather and sea conditions can rapidly change in minutes,
putting migrants in danger of being lost at sea,” said Capt. Jason Ryan, chief
of the enforcement branch of the Coast Guard 7th District.

“The Coast
Guard and our partner agencies coordinate efforts to interdict and stop these
unlawful migration attempts into the United States. Migrants caught attempting
to gain access into the U.S. through these dangerously illegal undertakings at sea
will be repatriated to their country in accordance with existing U.S.
immigration policy.”

The William Trump crew met the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute (WMEC-620) and safely transferred the migrants to the Resolute’s crew, who repatriated the migrants to their country of origin on Aug. 13.

A total of 3,414 Haitian migrants have tried to illegally enter the United States by sea in fiscal year 2019, compared to 2,727 in fiscal 2018. These numbers represent the total number of at-sea interdictions, landings and disruptions in the Florida Straits, the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean.

CHARLESTON,
S.C. — The U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies conducted a maritime law
enforcement operation Aug. 9 and Aug. 10 from Carteret County, North Carolina,
to Brevard County, Florida, that covered more than 500 miles of coastline, the
Coast Guard 7th District said in a release.

Coast Guard
crews conducted the operation in coordination with 104 partner agency units
from several federal, state and local agencies. The operation focused on the
education and enforcement of boating safety and maritime security throughout
the Southeast.

“We thank
each organization for the level of coordination and collaboration in planning
and executing this year’s iteration of Operation Shrimp and Grits,” said
Rear Adm. Eric Jones, commander of Coast Guard 7th District.

“The
operational contributions to our collective missions of maritime security and
marine safety, with special emphasis on enforcing compliance with passenger
charter, living marine resources and recreational boating safety laws, go a
long way toward achieving the objectives of each of our agencies. We trust the
collaborative nature of these types of interagency operations will also
contribute to our ability to respond holistically in times of crisis. Thank you
all and Semper Paratus.”

During the operation, 62 law enforcement/fire vessels, 18 auxiliary vessels, two fixed-wing law enforcement aircraft, two auxiliary fixed-wing aircraft, five helicopters, 4 Civil Support Teams, an aircraft-mounted Mobile Detection System and a Transportation Security Administration surface inspection team were used.

Over the two-day operation, 568 vessel boardings were conducted resulting in 48 U.S. Coast Guard violations, 22 Department of Natural Resources and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission violations, 35 local police department citations, and 12 vessel terminations.

Violations were issued for various reasons, to include: BUI [boating under the influence], possession of controlled substances, fisheries violations, illegal charter enforcement and recreational boating safety.

BOCA RATON,
Fla. — The Coast Guard interdicted six migrants Monday 7 miles east of Boca
Raton, the Coast Guard 7th District said in an Aug. 7 release.

The Coast
Guard Cutter Ibis (WPB-87338) crew arrived on scene and interdicted the six
male Cuban migrants. The crew safely embarked all six migrants aboard the
cutter. 

Coast Guard
Sector Miami watchstanders received a report from a good Samaritan of a suspicious
15-foot wooden vessel with six people aboard transiting near Boca Raton.

“People
attempting to illegally enter the United States put their lives and their loved
ones at risk.” said Petty Officer 1st Class Paula Verden, Coast Guard Sector
Miami command center. “These unseaworthy crafts do not have navigational or
safety equipment on board, exposing its occupants to a tragic scenario. The
Coast Guard continues to maintain a focused and coordinated efforts with
multiple agency assets to interdict any attempt to immigrate by sea to the
United States, Individuals interdicted at sea attempting to illegally immigrate
will be repatriated to their country in accordance with existing U.S.
immigration policy.”

The six adult
male migrants were transferred to Cuban authorities by Coast Guard Cutter
Robert Yered (WPC-1104) for repatriation purposes.

Once aboard a
Coast Guard cutter, all migrants receive food, water, shelter and basic medical
attention.

ALAMEDA,
Calif. — Crews aboard the pre-commissioned Coast Guard Cutter Midgett (WMSL
757) seized more than 2,100 pounds of cocaine worth approximately $64 million
from a low-profile go-fast vessel interdicted in international waters of the
Eastern Pacific Ocean, the Coast Guard Pacific Area said in an Aug. 7 release.

On July 25
a U.S. Navy MH-60R Seahawk aircrew embarked aboard the USS Michael Murphy (DDG
112) sighted a low-profile go-fast vessel. As the helicopter approached, a
hatch opened on the top of the vessel and three passengers were seen
jettisoning objects.

The
Michael Murphy remained with the suspected smuggling vessel until the Midgett
arrived on scene to conduct a law enforcement boarding. Midgett’s boarding team
seized approximately 2,100 pounds of cocaine from the interdiction and
apprehended three suspected smugglers.

“Even
though the cutter is still in a pre-commission status, this interdiction
showcases how ready our crew is and how capable the national security cutters
are,” said Capt. Alan McCabe, Midgett’s commanding officer. “It also
demonstrates the importance of our partnership with the U.S. Navy, whose
contributions are vital in stemming the flow of drugs into the United States.”

Nearly 80%
of all known illegal narcotics coming into North America are smuggled by
international cartels through the Eastern Pacific corridor.  As these cartels become more advanced in
their methods at sea, the Coast Guard is recapitalizing its fleet with modern
assets equipped to detect, interdict and disrupt the growing flow of illegal
drugs, weapons and people in the Eastern Pacific.

Midgett,
the Coast Guard’s eighth national security cutter, was accepted by the Coast Guard
in April. The cutter passed through the Panama Canal in July and is sailing to
Midgett’s future homeport in Honolulu, where it will be commissioned Aug. 24,
along with its sister-ship, the Coast Guard Cutter Kimball (WMSL 756).

While
national security cutters like the Midgett possess advanced operational
capabilities, more than 70% of the Coast Guard’s offshore presence is the
service’s aging fleet of medium-endurance cutters, many of which are over 50
years old and approaching the end of their service life.

Replacing
the fleet with new offshore patrol cutters is one of the Coast Guard’s top
priorities.

The
offshore patrol cutter will provide a critical capability bridge between
national security cutters like the Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WMSL 755), which
offloaded 39,000 pounds of cocaine last month, and fast-response cutters like
the Robert Ward, which recently seized more than 3,000 pounds of the cocaine in
the first cocaine seizure made by a fast-response cutter in the Eastern
Pacific.

LOCKPORT, La.
— Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Angela
McShan, the 35th fast-response cutter (FRC) to the U.S. Coast Guard, the
company said in an Aug 2 release. The Coast Guard took delivery on Aug. 1 in
Key West, Florida.

“We are very
pleased to announce the latest FRC delivery, the USCGC Angela McShan,” said Ben
Bordelon, Bollinger president and CEO. “Previous cutters have been stationed
around the nation including Alaska and Hawaii. The Angela McShan, the third of
three fast-response cutters to be home-ported in Cape May, New Jersey, will
join the cutters Rollin Fitch and Lawrence Lawson. The vessel’s commissioning
is scheduled for October 2019 in Cape May.

“FRCs already
in commission have protected our country by seizing multiple tons of narcotics,
interdicted thousands of illegal aliens and saved hundreds of lives,” Bordelon
said. “The FRC program is a model program for government acquisition and has
surpassed all historical quality benchmarks for vessels of this type and
complexity. The results are the delivery of truly extraordinary Coast Guard
cutters that will serve our nation for decades to come. We are extremely proud
that the delivery of the FRC-35 marks the 175th patrol boat built by Bollinger
Shipyards. This includes the USCG Island class, USCG Marine Protector class,
USN Cyclone class and USCG Sentinel Class fast-response cutters.”

The 154-foot
Sentinel-class fast-response cutter has a flank speed of 28 knots; state-of-the-art
command, control, communications and computer technology; and a stern launch
system for the vessel’s 26-foot cutter boat. The FRC has been described as an
operational “game-changer” by senior Coast Guard officials. Recently, the Coast
Guard deployed the FRC 1124 Oliver Berry from Hawaii across the Pacific to the
Republic of the Marshall Islands. The 4,400 nautical mile trip marked the
furthest deployment of an FRC to date. This trip showcases the hugely expanded
operational reach and capability that the FRC provides.

Each FRC is named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished him or herself in the line of duty. This vessel is named after Coast Guard hero Master Chief Petty Officer Angela McShan. MCPO McShan was a pioneer for women and African Americans. She was the first African American woman to be promoted to Master Chief Petty Officer. She served over two decades with great devotion and is remembered as an exemplary leader and professional. She inspired the many she trained, and has been described as a positive, kind and motivational person. MCPO McShan was a stellar performer, mentor teacher and inspirational leader. The Master Chief Angela M. McShan Inspirational Leadership Award was established in her memory.

SAN DIEGO —
Agencies from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including the Coast
Guard, detected and interdicted a suspected smuggling vessel carrying about
1,400 pounds of marijuana 40 miles southwest of San Diego on July 25, the Coast
Guard 11th District said in a release.

Customs and
Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (CBP AMO) crews notified
watchstanders at San Diego’s Joint Harbor Operations Center (JHOC) of suspected
smuggling activity aboard a 35-foot boat at about 7 p.m. The watchstanders
diverted the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Dorado (WPB 87306) that was
conducting a routine counter-smuggling patrol in the area.

Dorado
arrived on scene at about 10:30 p.m. after being vectored in by CBP AMO crews.
The Dorado crew launched their interceptor boat with a boarding team that
discovered the marijuana aboard the suspicious vessel. Two suspected smugglers
were detained.

Dorado’s crew
transported the marijuana and suspected smugglers to San Diego, where CBP’s AMO
crew seized the suspected smuggling vessel and Homeland Security Investigation’s
Marine Task Force took custody of the suspected smugglers and contraband.

“The
crew of Dorado had a very successful mission while patrolling the waters off
the coast of San Diego, and we at the district headquarters could not be
prouder of them,” said Capt. Arthur Snyder, Coast Guard 11th District’s
chief of response.

The Regional
Coordinating Mechanism (ReCoM) is another example of the evolution of joint
operations among interagency partners. Located in San Diego, Los Angeles and
San Francisco, the ReCoM partnerships include the U.S. Coast Guard, CBP’s
Office of Air and Marine, Office of Field Operations, U.S. Border Patrol and
ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations in cooperation with state and local law
enforcement partners operating along the California coast.

Dorado is an
87-foot patrol boat homeported in Crescent City. 

PAGO PAGO,
American Samoa — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Gerczak (WPC 1126) arrived
in the Port of Pago Pago on Aug. 3, completing a nine-day transit from Hawaii
that demonstrated the long-range capabilities of the fast-response cutter.

The crew
is participating in Operation Aiga to conduct fisheries law enforcement and
strengthen partnerships in American Samoa and Samoa throughout August.

“It was a good transit, the longest we’ve conducted yet, nine days at sea, and we’re proving the capabilities of these new cutters to operate over the horizon throughout the remote Pacific,” said Lt. James Provost, commanding officer of Joseph Gerczak. “This is the first time a fast-response cutter has come to Pago Pago. We’re looking forward to hosting our partners and the public during tours [Aug. 5] from 1 to 3 p.m. here at the port.”

The Coast
Guard is positioned to enforce U.S. federal laws and regulations in the
territorial waters of American Samoa. Worldwide, tuna is a $7 billion-dollar
annual industry, and roughly 70 percent of that tuna comes from the western and
central Pacific Ocean. These pelagic fish migrate and it is essential the U.S.
and its partners protect the resource from illegal, unregulated and unreported
fishing. Estimates place the value of IUU fishing around $616 million annually.

“After
this port call, we will be working with NOAA fisheries and the American Samoa
Marine Police to enforce fisheries regulations in the region while on patrol.
Oceania countries adhering to the rule of law deserve and even playing field.
Presence, partnerships, and regular enforcement can deter IUU fishing and
safeguard these critical fish stocks,” Provost said.

The Coast
Guard Cutter Walnut (WLB 205) crew will also be conducting a fisheries mission
with shipriders from Samoa aboard to enforce sovereign laws in their EEZ and
deter IUU fishing. This effort is being undertaken in coordination with
Australia and New Zealand as Samoa transitions their organic patrol assets,
upgrading their fleet. Both cutter crews will also respond to any emergent
search-and-rescue needs in the area and seek out opportunities to work with
partner nation assets.

The Coast
Guard exercises 11 bilateral shiprider agreements with Pacific Island Forum
nations to help ensure regional security and maritime sovereignty.

“The U.S.
is committed to supporting our allies and neighbors in the Pacific, which is
essential to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

The Joseph
Gerczak is a 154-foot Sentinel-Class fast-response cutter homeported in
Honolulu. It is one of the newest patrol boats in the fleet. Three fast-response
cutters will be homeported in Honolulu, the third arriving in August. Three
will also be stationed in Guam and are to begin arriving there next year.

MIAMI —
The U.S. Coast Guard interdicted 27 Cuban migrants on July 27 about 5 miles
south of Key West, the Coast Guard’s 7th District said in a release.

A Coast
Guard Station Key West 45-foot response boat crew interdicted an 18-foot
migrant chug with 27 Cuban migrants — 22 males, four females and one child — aboard.
The crew safely embarked all 27 migrants aboard the station boat.

“These
illegal ventures attempting to immigrate to the United States are extremely
dangerous, especially during the hurricane season, when weather and sea
conditions can dramatically and rapidly change in minutes, putting migrants in
danger of being lost at sea,” said Capt. Jason Ryan, chief of the enforcement
branch of the Coast Guard 7th District.

“The Coast
Guard and our partner agencies’ priority is safety of life at sea and these
voyages in ill-equipped vessels aren’t safe. The Coast Guard and our partner
agencies maintain their focused and coordinated efforts to interdict and stop
these unlawful migration attempts into the United States.”

The
watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Key West were notified by a good Samaritan
vessel of a possible migrant vessel. The watchstanders directed the launch of a
Station Key West RB-M boat crew and diverted the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter
Kathleen Moore (WPC-1109) to assist.

The
station crew rendezvoused with the cutter Kathleen Moore and safely transferred
the migrants to the cutter.

A total of
438 Cuban migrants have attempted to illegally enter the U.S. by sea in fiscal
year 2019 compared to 384 Cuban migrants in fiscal year 2018. These numbers
represent the total number of at-sea interdictions, landings and disruptions in
the Florida Straits, the Caribbean and the Atlantic.

MIAMI — The U.S.
Coast Guard interdicted the 37-foot pleasure craft, Bada Bing, with three
Brazilian migrants, one Jamaican migrant and two suspected smugglers on July 30
about 30 miles east of Hollywood, Florida, the Coast Guard 7th District said in
a release.

The Coast
Guard Cutter Paul Clark (WPC-1101) crew located the pleasure craft with six
people aboard during a patrol and safely embarked two Brazilian adult males,
one Brazilian adult female, one Jamaican adult male and two potential
smugglers.

All six
people were transferred to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“People should never
trust these criminal organizations with their lives,” said Petty Officer
1st Class Nicolas Rodriguez, Coast Guard 7th District operations branch.
“Attempting to smuggle yourself into the country via the maritime
environment is both extremely dangerous and illegal. With the consistent danger
these smuggling ventures present, our crews and partner agencies remain
persistently vigilant to protect lives and enforce federal laws.”

ASTORIA, Ore.
— The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast (WMEC-632) returned home July 30
following a 56-day counternarcotic patrol to the eastern Pacific Ocean, the
Coast Guard Pacific Area said in a release.

The crew
interdicted five suspected smuggling vessels, including three pangas, a fishing
vessel and a sailboat, and the crew recovered floating bales of contraband
yielding more than 23,000 pounds of cocaine.

The Steadfast
crew offloaded more than 26,000 pounds of seized cocaine in San Diego on July
26, which was a result of the cutter’s five interdictions, bale recovery and an
interdiction case by the Coast Guard Cutter Robert Ward (WPC-1130).

The cocaine,
worth an estimated $350 million, was seized by the crews while the cutters were
patrolling international waters off the coasts of Mexico and Central and South
America from late June to mid-July.

“This was
26,000 pounds of cocaine that will not make it to the main streets of the USA,
and it also gives us the opportunity to make sure we can continue to combat
transnational criminal organizations who transport this cocaine deep in the
Pacific every single day,” said Rear Adm. Peter Gautier, the 11th Coast Guard
District’s commander. “Because we know that with a supply chain of illegal
narcotics, at every single step there’s violence, instability and despair.”

Steadfast’s
seizure of more than 23,000 pounds of cocaine marks the largest amount of
cocaine seized by crews aboard a 210-foot Reliance-class medium-endurance
cutter during a single counternarcotic deployment in Coast Guard history.

Many of the
medium-endurance cutters in service today are more than 50 years old. The Coast
Guard’s medium-endurance cutters represent 70% of the service’s counter-drug
interdiction fleet. These cutters are approaching the end of their service life.
Replacing this aging fleet with the offshore patrol cutter is one of the Coast
Guard’s top priorities. Even though medium-endurance cutters are still highly
effective, as shown by the narcotics interdictions, the ships can be difficult
and expensive to maintain and operate.

As these
cartels become more advanced in their methods at sea, the Coast Guard is
recapitalizing the fleet with modern assets equipped to detect, interdict and
disrupt the growing flow of illegal drugs, weapons and people in the eastern
Pacific.

The offshore patrol cutter will provide a critical capability bridge between national security cutters like the Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WMSL-755), which offloaded 39,000 pounds of cocaine earlier this month, and fast response cutters like the Robert Ward, which seized more than 3,000 pounds of the cocaine offloaded July 26. The Robert Ward’s interdiction was the first cocaine seizure made by a fast response cutter in the Eastern Pacific.

“There are few closer relationships than those among the members of a ship’s crew performing a dangerous, important mission,” said Cmdr. Dan Ursino, the Steadfast’s commanding officer. “Steadfast’s crew has worked as a remarkable, dedicated team with a strong common goal — protecting their nation from the deadly, destructive effects of illegal drugs.”