Santo Domingo.- The Coast Guard cutter Arcturus GC-114, acquired through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program of the United States Government, through the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), joins the Dominican Republic Navy to reinforce national maritime security.
The coast guard will “strengthen maritime surveillance and control of the country’s jurisdictional waters, expanding the response capacity against illegal fishing, drug trafficking, irregular migration, transnational organized crime and search and rescue operations at sea”, they specified in a statement the Ministry of Defense and the US embassy in the Dominican Republic.
The Arcturus was received this Sunday at the Port of Sans Soucí, in Santo Domingo, in a ceremony attended by members of the local Armed Forces’ general staff, as well as Michael Jensen, director of the U.S. National Security Council for Western Hemisphere Affairs; and Joseph Humire, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs, who began a four-day visit to the country yesterday to strengthen cooperation in security and development.
Built at the Metal Shark Boats shipyard in Louisiana, the Coast Guard cutter is 87 feet long, 19 feet wide, and 35 feet high, and has two Caterpillar C32 engines, allowing it to reach a maximum speed of 26 knots.
It has a displacement capacity of 20 tons, a crew of up to 22 members, and autonomy for medium-range operations.
It also has a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) launching system of 18 feet with two outboard engines, ideal for interdiction missions.
According to the information, the operation was carried out under a purchase-donation agreement, in which the Dominican State contributed 30% of the total cost, while 70% was financed by the United States, “reaffirming the close bilateral cooperation relationship in the fight against common threats in the region.”
