WILLEMSTAD – Last week, the Citizen Rescue Organization (CITRO) and the Caribbean Coast Guard signed a new cooperation agreement. 

Present at the CITRO boathouse were Adriaan van der Hoeven, Chairman, SueWen van Daalen, Secretary, Sonia Moniz de Faria, Treasurer, Lusette Verboom, Virgill Kemper, and Izzy Gerstenbluth for CITRO. 

For the Caribbean Coast Guard, the Director of the Coast Guard, Walter Hansen, Head of Operations, Martin van Lavieren, and Head of the Maritime Operation Centre, Mirko Kessen, were present. The Director of the Coast Guard has known CITRO for 25 years since he was first in Curaçao as commander on the coast guard cutter Jaguar and later held the position of head of operations of the Coast Guard. 

Volunteers 

Hansen also emphasized how special it was that CITRO was a very important partner for the Coast Guard. Especially because it is very special that an organization that works entirely with volunteers can play such an important role as a stable chain partner of the Coast Guard in saving lives at sea.