On February 24, U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton (WMSL-752) will arrive in Port Moresby for a port visit.
During Stratton’s visit, U.S. and Papua New Guinea officials will meet to discuss a bilateral Ship Rider agreement through which the United States and Papua New Guinea will cooperate to jointly combat illegal maritime activity in Papua New Guinean waters.
At the end of the port visit, Stratton’s crew will host PNG government representatives for an underway exercise demonstrating how a joint patrol would be conducted under the Ship Rider agreement.
The bilateral Ship Rider agreement will be a force multiplier for both Papua New Guinea and the United States because it will allow Papua New Guinean maritime law enforcement personnel to observe, protect, board, and search vessels suspected of violating laws or regulations within Papua New Guinean waters with the support of U.S. Coast Guard personnel and vessels.
Stratton has been underway in the Pacific for approximately two months combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Prior to PNG, Stratton conducted a joint patrol under the existing Ship Rider agreement between the United States and Fiji. The Coast Guard’s mission to combat IUU fishing is essential in protecting maritime governance and a rules-based international order to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Before visiting Fiji, Stratton’s crew worked with British, Australian, New Zealand, and French allied naval forces as well as the U.S. Navy in support of the Tongan government following the volcanic eruption on Jan 15th.
Stratton is a 418-foot national security cutter capable of extended, worldwide deployment in support of homeland security and defense missions. National Security Cutters routinely conduct operations throughout the Pacific and Atlantic oceans; their unmatched combination of range, speed, and ability to operate in extreme weather provides the mission flexibility necessary to conduct vital strategic missions.