THE Army flagship ‘GDFS Essequibo’ returned to Port Georgetown yesterday after participating, for the third year, in the Caribbean regional ‘Exercise Tradewinds’.
Forty-three crew, under the command of ship Captain Floyd Levi took part in the 11 days programme, started last March 26, with 11 other nations in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Funding and technical support was given by the United States (U.S.) and United Kingdom.
Levi told a Press at their Ruimveldt, Georgetown headquarters that Coast Guard Commander John Flores was ‘Exercise Controller’ for the duration of the stint.
He said that was unusual because that honour is usually reserved for the host country.
According to him, the total 234 participants spent most of the time at sea, being trained in law enforcement, counter attacks on drugs and terrorism as well as disaster preparedness.
However, on shore, they received training in port security, too.
Levi reported that Guyana was very welcome and, at one stage of the operations, GDFS Essequibo was in charge of two other ships in a mini-fleet.
He said the Guyanese contingent was lauded for exemplary performances in fire fighting, damage control and ship board evaluation.
Umpires were assigned to each ship and, according to reports we received, the level of professionalism of the crew was on par with that of most of the other countries’ and, at times, even above,” Levi said.
He said the Guyana showing matched that of the other countries and was even better in some areas.
This country has been involved in Exercise Tradewinds since 1991 but only started using the Army flagship three years ago.
Guyana, behind the U.S. and the Dominican Republic had the third largest vessel, 47.6 metres long and ten metres wide, this time.
Levi said, on the 55 hours return trip, his crew practised fishing protection patrol and intercepted two vessels from Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
But, when searched, the boats were found to have been on “innocent passage.”
Guyana was unable to participate in Barbados last year after a quantity of cannabis (marijuana) was discovered aboard the vessel as it docked there.
Two soldiers were later charged with trafficking in the 60 kilogrammes 681 grammes and dishonourably discharged from the military.
Able Rating Wayne Inniss was jailed for three years when he pleaded guilty to the offence and the other defendant, Shandy Stephens was freed when the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) withdrew against him. (Shawnel Cudjoe)