One of the many Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard vessels.
PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Justice Cornelius de Weever over the weekend urged youngsters ages 18-23 to attend the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard information and recruitment day at the substation at Airport Boulevard #2, Simpson Bay, on Saturday, June 22.
“This is a great opportunity for our young men and women who may have an interest in joining the Coast Guard to attend the recruitment drive and get a first-hand look at what working with the Coast Guard entails,” said the minister.
During the recruitment drive, there will be on the spot recruitment, information about the Coast Guard, viewing and tour of the boats and equipment. This is open to Dutch passport holders only.
The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard works closely with several partners such as police, Customs and Immigration on-island. The Rescue and Coordination Centre (RCC) in Curaçao coordinates search and rescue (SAR) actions on a regular basis with its partner RCC in Fort-de-France, Martinique. Several SAR operations have been conducted in good cooperation using both French assets and assets of the Coast Guard, including flying assets (planes, helicopters) from the Hato substation in Curaçao and maritime assets from the St. Maarten substation.
Regarding maritime law enforcement, the French and the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guards have to coordinate their operations due to the proximity of territorial boundaries. The two agencies exchange valuable information on a regular basis.
