WILLEMSTAD – The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard rescued 443 people during maritime search and rescue operations in 2025, according to its annual report released this week.
The report states that the Coast Guard responded to 258 search and rescue incidents throughout the year across the Caribbean waters surrounding Curaçao, Aruba, Sint Maarten and the BES islands.
In addition to the rescues, the Coast Guard recorded 14 fatalities and 38 missing persons within its area of responsibility during the year.
According to the report, many rescue operations were conducted in cooperation with international and regional partners. The Coast Guard noted that some rescues involved direct intervention by Coast Guard units, while others were coordinated operations in which partner agencies carried out the actual recovery after receiving information from the Coast Guard.
The organization said its operational network includes maritime patrol aircraft, helicopters, radar systems and patrol vessels operating across the Caribbean region.
The annual report also highlights increasing international cooperation in rescue operations. In 2025, the Coast Guard participated in joint search and rescue exercises with Colombia and worked closely with France on SAR coordination around the Windward Islands.
The Coast Guard stressed that every search and rescue report within its responsibility zone receives a response, regardless of other operational priorities.