Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Tara Molle | Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Beaudoin, a Coast Guard International Port Security liaison officer...... read more read more
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HONOLULU — A U.S. Coast Guard International Port Security team completed a bilateral engagement with Kingdom of Tonga officials in January and concluded a week-long reciprocal visit to Hawaii, Thursday.
The reciprocal engagement involved sharing best practices and visiting with personnel from Coast Guard 14th District and Coast Guard Sector Honolulu. The Kingdom of Tonga officials observed security measures taken through the Honolulu State Pier 2 where cruise ships dock in the Port of Honolulu as well as through the shipping industry at the Matson Container Facility and Chevron Hawaii.
“We are honored and pleased to host representatives from the Kingdom of Tongo were able to travel to Hawaii to observe our port security," said Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Beaudoin, ISPS Program liaison officer, U.S. Coast Guard Activities Far East. “This was the first time a Pacific Island nation came to the United States for a reciprocal engagement and it is a real milestone.”
Representatives from the Nevada National Guard, as part of the state sponsorship program, also joined the visit to learn about maritime operations and port security in order to support future mutual interest activities in Tonga.
The Kingdom of Tonga became signatory to the ISPS Code in 2004. The ISPS Program seeks to facilitate secure maritime commerce globally and prevent transnational crime organizations and terrorist from exploiting the maritime domain.
The U.S. Coast Guard International Port Security program conducts an annual visit to assess the effectiveness of seaport anti-terrorism measures and provides recommendations to government officials to reduce the risk of a maritime security incidents and impacts to the global and regional supply chain. The ISPS program is designed to assist seaports overcome security challenges in a dynamic and ever changing threat environment.
In the Asia-Pacific region, U.S. Coast Guard’s Activities Far East coordinates with over 40 countries to execute these bilateral engagements. The U.S. Coast Guard is committed to promoting and facilitating safe and secure maritime trade.
| Date Taken: | 04.08.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.08.2016 21:00 |
| Story ID: | 194886 |
| Location: | HONOLULU , HI, US |
| Hometown: | TOKYO, TOKYO, JP |
| Hometown: | NUKU'ALOFA, TO |
| Hometown: | CARSON CITY, NV, US |
| Web Views: | 444 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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