The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations aircrew out of Jacksonville, located and rescued the disabled Colombian Navy patrol vessel in the Caribbean Sea.
The CBP aircrew assisted the Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF South) operations in the search for the missing Colombian Vessel near Riohacha, Colombia.
The crew located the vessel using real-time surveillance systems and rescued the four crew members onboard the vessel. All the crew members are treated for severe dehydration.
Director of National Air Security Operations Center – Jacksonville Robert Blanchard said, “Safety at sea is paramount, and we’re standing by to take quick action with local, state, federal and military partners when lives are on the line.”
Adding to it, he said, “CBP’s aerial surveillance capabilities based in Florida are critical to supporting broad interagency and international efforts in the maritime environment.”
CBP P-3s patrol in a 42 million square mile area that includes more than 41 nations, the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and maritime approaches to the United States.
Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
