On November 11, Ambassador Armbruster visited the Coast Guard Cutter Sequoia at the US Army Base Kwajalein Atoll. The Sequoia is a buoy tender that has participated in the “Ship Rider” program, allowing law enforcement officials from the Marshall Islands to use the Sequoia as a platform for maritime enforcement. The Sequoia was successful in interdicting a poacher that was illegally “finning” sharks and dumping oil into RMI waters. Here, Lieutenant Commander Gregory M. Somers shows the skiff used for boarding ships at sea. The Sequoia, based in Guam, is a 225 foot ocean going ship whose responsibilities include Maritime Law Enforcement, Search & Rescue, Military Readiness and Support to Various Federal Agencies and Embassies. Sequoia patrols take them all over the Western Pacific including the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau.
Travel Advisory: Level 3 - Reconsider Travel...Read More
