BCG 40th Anniversary Church Service

BDF Media Release| 24 Feb 19

Photography credit: Lieutenant Shimar Gollop 

Embrace the Past; Celebrate the Present; Chart the future, was the theme of the Barbados Coast Guard’s 40th Anniversary Church Service held last Sunday at the Whitepark Wesleyan Holiness Church. The Service was attended by the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados.

Since its establishment, the responsibilities of the Barbados Coast Guard (BCG) have expanded significantly. The interconnected and multifaceted Caribbean region, is threatened by the steady escalation of illicit trafficking; primarily of illegal drugs and small weaponry through its prized tranquil waters. Commander Mark Peterson, Commanding Officer of the Barbados Coast Guard indicated that the Barbados Coast Guard’s role in Port and Maritime Security will continue to increase, as the organisation ensures that the safety of those visitors and locals alike is protected through enhanced port and maritime security patrols as well as the establishment of special teams to respond to threats of terrorism.

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The Government of Barbados has made a number of obligations under international law, and it is the duty of the Barbados Coast Guard to ensure that these obligations are met and the waters that engulf our shores are safe, and secure for all. The Barbados Coast Guard of 40 years onward, aims to be a dynamic and proactive organisation; an organisation of pride and industry. In so doing, the unit will continue to embrace the past, celebrate the present and chart the future as part of the Barbados Defence Force’s service to uphold its motto – a symbol of excellence.

 The Barbados Coast Guard regularly carries out maritime counter illicit operations with our national and regional law enforcement partners such as the Royal Barbados Police Force, Customs Enforcement and The Regional Security System Air Wing. After its modernization and transition to HMBS PELICAN in 2007, the BCG has conducted 239 successful counternarcotics operations, netting approximately 30,000 lbs of marijuana and 425 kgs of cocaine with a combined estimated street value of over $700 million Barbados dollars. The BCG has notably conducted 476 successful Search and Rescue Missions, 11 medical evacuations of injured mariners from vessels at sea and 10 regional humanitarian assistance and disaster response missions in support of the Regional Security System.

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