Put new vessels to good use

However, the larger question of strategic deployment remains to be addressed.

While engaging with our maritime neighbours and international partners is a necessary part of the equation, no amount of assistance from foreign States can plug gaps in coverage. That requires effective management as well as the necessary resources.

We have long gone past crying over spilt milk in relation to the highly controversial OPVs planned by the Patrick Manning administration more than six years ago.

Today we can safely question whether vessels alone are the panacea to the ills that are said to plague our maritime security.

The drug and gun trade, as well as the potential for human trafficking, are all matters in the middle of this maelstrom.

“We have engaged our neighbours (Venezuela) to cooperate with us because we believe the national security thrust in the maritime environment is fundamental to how we treat with crime and criminality in TT,” said Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon at the commissioning ceremony for the two new vessels.

“We recognise, to a large extent, that some of the issues we confront on a day-to-day basis have their genesis in the penetration of our borders,” he said.

But whether the new vessels will make a difference now depends on how the TTS Moruga (CG 27) and TTS Carli Bay (CG 28) are deployed. Thus far, it has been difficult to discern a bigger strategy or plan, particularly given the drip-feed nature of this procurement.

The vessels were built by Dutch shipbuilder Damen Schelde (Damen). They are the most recent delivery in a 12-vessel order made by the TT Government back in May 2015.

The first six vessels were delivered in July 2015.

Dillon said the new vessels should spend more time monitoring our maritime borders than at dock.

He also said while Government welcomes these additional vessels, it also believes that in an international environment, we must be able to cooperate with our partners.

This involves support of joint initiatives aimed at intelligence and information-sharing as well as operational effectiveness.

Caricom is also a central part of the equation, regardless of its flagging role in economic and social integration.

There is also a need to reassess the practice of procuring equipment in the absence of key stratagems and systems.

We welcome these new assets but anxiously wait to see how they will be deployed in the fight against the gun and drug trade.

The vessels should be adequately equipped to be able to spot contraband carriers. We hope the new ships are not going to be left parked up at Staubles Bay. It also must be remembered that the equipment should function within a system germane to their maximum utilisation.

So, for example, it makes no sense deploying them if basic radar systems are not working and if the Police Service, Coast Guard and other agencies are not working in tandem.

If all of these matters are not attended to, we will simply end up with big toys in a crime situation that has become our deadliest game.