A two member-delegation of the Portuguese Navy, is visiting the country as a follow up on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Ministry of National Defense/ the Armed Forces of Liberia and Camoes IP in June 2022.
During a courtesy call on the Defense boss, Rui Filipe said that the Support to West Africa Integrated Maritime Security (SWAIMS) is an ECOWAS program, founded by EU and consisting of eight projects.
One of the programs according to him is delegated to Camoes I.P. (Portuguese Cooperation) partnered with the Portuguese Navy.
The overall objective of SWAIMS is to contribute to supporting the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy and Improving Maritime security and safety in the Gulf of Guinea through a combined approach in legal, technical and operational activities in the region.
Capt. Filipe maintain that they were in the country to coordinate with the Ministry of Defense and especially with the Coast Guard for the delivery of the two boats and to find out training needs for the operations and maintenance of the boats by the Liberia Coast Guard.
He assured the Defense boss that the Liberian Coast Guard will receive the two boats in 2025 based on Memorandum signed between the MoD/AFL and Camoes IP in 2022.
Capt. Filipe emphasized that training and maintenance support will be included in the program, in order to achieve and guarantee a long-term sustainable capacity which started in 2020 and was supposed to finish in June 2024.
However, he said due to legal issues regarding the tender and procurement of the RHIBs (24 in total for 12 ECOWAS countries, including Liberia), is now extended to the end of 2025.
The total budget for the Camoes IP delegated project is 12,478.294 EUROS.
The budget foresees for 2 RHIBs with two engines, spare parts and maintenance for two years for each of the 12 ECOWAS countries and the RHIBs are expected to be delivered in 2025 to the Coast Guard of Liberia.
This project focuses on the rule of law at sea and aims for the ECOWAS costal states to deploy law enforcement forces capable of timely intervention at sea, to respond effectively to incidents of maritime crime and illicit acts, to include trafficking and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objective, the project will provide in the provision of Rigid-Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) and forensic equipment that allows an effective collection of evidence, such as fingerprints and blood samples.
For her part, the Minister of Defense Brig Gen. Geraldine J. George (Rtd.) thanked Capt. Filipe and Manuel de Santos for the visit and assured them of the full cooperation of the Ministry of National Defense and the Armed Forces of Liberia.
The Minister told Capt. Filipe that she was grateful for the visit and the provision of the two boats for the Coast Guard.
She however, praised the team for the training opportunities.
According to the Defense Boss, the Armed Forces of Liberia was currently faced with logistical problems and the coming of the two boats was a big boost for the force in the protection of the territorial waters of Liberia.
“We are open to more training opportunities for our Coast Guard and even our civilian staff both internationally and locally,” the minister concluded.
Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIB, or rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) is a light weight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a rigid hull bottom joined to side-forming air tubes that are inflated with air to a high pressure so as to give the side’s resilient rigidity along the boat’s topsides.
The design is stable, light, fast and seaworthy.
The RIB is an evolutionary development of the inflatable boat with a rubberized fabric bottom that is stiffened with flat boards within the collar to form the deck or floor of the boat.
The Ministry of National Defense will be grateful for this boat and happy with the visit of Capt. Filipe and Santos to the Ministry of National Defense and the Armed Forces of Liberia. The visit, according to defense authprities symbolizes the importance of diplomatic exchanges in the realm of defense and security, highlighting the shared commitment of the Portuguese Navy to maintaining peace and security in Liberia and the ECOWAS Region.
It also sets a positive tone for future collaborations and underscores the essential role of partnerships in addressing complex security challenges effectively.
