Belize Coast Guard Remains on Alert for Holiday Maritime Security

Law enforcement officials will be on high alert over the Christmas season on both land and sea.  As it relates to maritime security, Rear Admiral Elton Bennett of the Belize Coast Guard told Love News that his teams will be deployed at all bases.  He noted that the holiday strategy also entails having support teams on call to assist should any situation develop.  As families make final preparations for the Christmas, Commander Bennett, expressed gratitude to those who support the seamen and officers on call for the holidays.

RADM Elton Bennett, Belize Coast Guard Commandant: “The Coast Guard remains operationally committed throughout the holiday season. We have our Forward Operating Basses that are up and operational. We have aggressive patrolling in areas where we believe there may be vulnerable mariners and fisherfolk so we have a specially designed operation to ensure that both maritime security but also maritime safety of mariners transiting Belizean waters is kept on our Coast Guard radar and that we’re able to respond to any eventualities that may occur out at sea during this period. So as far north as Consejo our border with Mexico and as far south as Barranco and Hunting Caye the Belize Coast Guard will continue to patrol those areas maintaining watch across our sea spaces, throughout the Christmas season. We do not collapse operations at any point. Our operations remain forward deployed. The state of readiness and the ability to respond to any maritime eventualities is still out there. There’s no reconfiguring of operations to scale it down. As a matter of fact over this Christmas season, over the holidays we remain an extra level of vigilance because people become vulnerable during this time of year as well and that translates to mariners out at sea as well. So the Coast Guard maintains watch.”