WILLEMSTAD - The patrol ship Zr.Ms. Groningen will return home to the port of Den Helder this week. The naval vessel can look back on a very successful deployment period in the Caribbean. Never before had the so-called 'station ship' in the Caribbean Sea had so many drug interceptions.
De Groningen has been in the Caribbean for six months and has seized no fewer than 17 drug boats, good for more than 19,000 kilos of drugs.
The Royal Netherlands Navy always has a station ship in the Caribbean that can be used, among other things, for anti-drug operations, anti-human smuggling, search and rescue tasks and emergency aid after natural disasters, such as earthquakes and hurricane passages.
The station ship can be deployed at sea by both the Coast Guard Caribbean and the American partnership Joint Interagency Task Force South.
Although the Groningen was available for a large number of tasks, most of the results were achieved in the field of drug smuggling. Never before had a Dutch navy ship had so many drug interceptions during a deployment period in the Caribbean. In September, the ship had four previously unknown drug seizures of 1,235, 2037, 1,168 and 566 kilograms respectively.
The 17 drug seizures bring the total to more than 15,600 kilograms of cocaine and more than 3,500 kilograms of marijuana. In the region, the Royal Netherlands Navy cooperates with a large number of countries in counter-narcotics operations.
De Groningen had been active in the Caribbean since May. The ship has since been relieved by sister ship the Holland.