Her Excellency the Governor, Elizabeth Carriere, is expressing delight as she announced in a press release that the contract for the construction and purchase of a new vessel for the Royal Montserrat Police Service (RMPS) has been signed by the supplier and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
The release informs that the vessel is provided by Dutch boat builders Damen and is the Stan 2205 patrol boat. At almost 23 metres, it is twice the length of the disabled MV Shamrock and can accommodate four crew and four passengers on extended patrols over 24 hours. It is fitted with sleeping, cooking and bathroom accommodation. The vessel is currently being customised to RMPS requirements at Damen’s shipyard in Antalya, Turkey, which also include the provision of a 5 metre rigid inflatable boat (RIB) that can be deployed from the stern of the vessel. The boat can reach speeds of 30 knots in normal sea conditions and is well suited to circumnavigation of the island, allowing, for the first time, marine patrols of the exclusion zone on a 24/7 basis. It is being fitted with the latest communications equipment which will allow it to maintain contact with RMPS Headquarters even when on patrol to the south of Montserrat.
The vessel has been funded by the UK Government’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), which runs from 2016 – 2020. The funding for the vessel includes a three-year maintenance package. The RMPS Marine Unit is currently undergoing the required training and certification to enable it to operate the vessel to international standards and to meet Montserrat’s international safety at sea and security obligations.
“I am delighted that the Royal Montserrat Police Service is getting the vessel it needs to meet both its international maritime safety and security obligations and its duty to protect and patrol Montserrat’s coastline and territorial waters. This vessel is a game changer for Montserrat’s ability to respond to security requirements and monitor the exclusion zone, and its place in the regional maritime safety and security structure,” the Governor said in the release.
Commissioner of Police, Steve Foster, with some relief, “The Royal Montserrat Police Service has for some time been without a suitable maritime safety and security capability. This will drastically change with the arrival of this vessel next year. We are now preparing for its arrival by increasing the size of the Marine Unit, ensuring that the Marine Unit crews are fully trained and certified to operate the vessel and that it will be operated and maintained in accordance with international requirements. I am very grateful to the UK Government for this asset, which substantially increases our ability to fulfil our domestic and regional obligations.”
Baring no more disappointments, the vessel, which is yet to be named, is due to arrive in Montserrat in early April 2018. The Governor’s office hopes that a competition will be run over the next few months to name the vessel.
Meanwhile the Governor has extended an invitation to a media briefing where they will give more details of the vessel on Monday, November 20.
