After a 60-day Caribbean patrol during which 65 Haitian migrants were repatriated, the crew of the US Coast Guard’s cutter Venturous has returned to its home port in St. Petersburg, Florida, according to the USCG.
The Venturous aided Joint Interagency Task Force-South and US Homeland Security Task Force-Southeast in their counterdrug operations, according to a statement released by the Coast Guard.
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“The migrants were safely transferred to Venturous from Coast Guard cutters Dauntless, Forward and Vigilant. Aboard Venturous, the migrants were given food, water, and basic medical care before being repatriated to the Haitian Coast Guard in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti,” stated the US Coast Guard.
According to the report, the Venturous was assigned to the Coast Guard Seventh District and was responsible for monitoring the South Florida Straits and Windward Passage in the Caribbean Sea, “to conduct maritime safety and security missions while working to detect, deter, and intercept unsafe and unlawful migrant ventures bound for the United States.”
During their port visit in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the US Coast Guard reported that the Venturous also entertained the commander and head of naval operations of the Dominican Republic Navy, “to discuss capabilities, training, and partnerships in the region.”
“Our highest priority is to prevent the tragic loss of life at sea,” stated the Venturous commanding commander, Commander Karen L. Kutkiewicz. “Often, interdicting migrants attempting to illegally enter the southeast maritime border turns into urgent rescue when homemade, overloaded, and dangerously unsafe vessels attempt the passage.”
“This mission is challenging both mentally and physically on our crew,” she noted. “I am proud of the crew’s care and professionalism displayed in this humanitarian mission.”
According to the US Coast Guard, OVS was initially created as the operating plan in 2004 “to prevent, deter, prepare for, respond to, and recover from maritime migration events in the Caribbean.”
