IPNEWS: The European Union, through the SWAIMS Project, has donated two Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) to the Government of Liberia to enhance the operational capacity of the Liberia Coast Guard.The boats, handed over at the Coast Guard Headquarters on Bushrod Island, are expected to improve maritime security, support joint regional operations, and help combat threats such as illegal fishing, piracy, trafficking, and smuggling in the Gulf of Guinea.
Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Geraldine Janet George (Rtd.) thanked the EU and its partners for their continued support, while EU Ambassador Dr. Anna Brzozowska reaffirmed the bloc’s commitment to helping Liberia strengthen security at sea.
Representing President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Acting President and Justice Minister Cllr. N. Oswald Tweh described the donation as a significant boost to Liberia’s efforts to safeguard its territorial waters and promote regional maritime stability.
The support also included specialized training for Coast Guard personnel under the EU-funded SWAIMS Project.
This donation is directed under the SWAIMS is a €28 million initiative managed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and funded entirely by the EU. It represents the largest regional maritime security program in West Africa, providing physical assets, training, and legal infrastructure to coastal member states.
Delivered directly to the Coast Guard Headquarters on Bushrod Island to maximize operational readiness.
The donation features spare parts and additional backup engines to ensure long-term vessel upkeep.
Included to support LCG personnel in gathering legally admissible evidence during maritime crime investigations.
The Portuguese Navy and the Camões Institute directed the hands-on training programs.
LCG personnel received training in vessel boarding techniques, maritime crime prevention, pollution control, and fisheries inspections.
The curriculum specifically focused on the technical operation and mechanical maintenance of the new hulls and engines.
The deployment of these assets targets specific vulnerabilities within Liberia’s exclusive economic zone and the wider Gulf of Guinea, especially boosting patrols against piracy, armed robbery, human trafficking, and narcotics smuggling, enhancing capability to deter Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, which safeguards coastal communities and national revenue, Scaling up the speed and radius of emergency response missions at sea.
This donation will now enable the LCG to successfully participate in joint regional maritime exercises alongside neighboring nations like Sierra Leone and Côte d’Ivoire.
