Willemstad- The Coast Guard, together with the Ministry of Defense in the Caribbean, has been monitoring our coastlines intensively for some time.

This intensification of coastal surveillance is mainly aimed at the transport of goods and people who want to reach the islands illegally. In addition to the fact that the illegal boats want to bring contraband ashore, society also runs the risk that the persons on board the boats are infected with the corona virus. The landfall of these persons on the islands poses a great risk to public health.

The Coast Guard recently detained a boat with 26 undocumented migrants on board, 9 people out this group were infected with COVID-19. The Coast Guard also warns fishing boats that could come into contact with COVID-19 sources of contamination at sea while transshipping fish from Venezuelan boats.

The Coast Guard will continue to monitor the maritime borders and coasts in the coming period and intensification with the assistance of Defense will be maintained.

Call 913

The Coast Guard is appealing to all residents who see suspicious activities at sea and along coastlines to call the emergency number 913. Vessels at sea can contact the Rescue and Coordination Center of the Coast Guard via VHF channel 16 at the detecting suspicious and / or dangerous situations.

“With your cooperation, we keep the sea and the coastlines of the islands safe even during the corona crisis”, according to a statement by the Coastguard.