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Seychelles Coast Guard

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Seychelles Coast Guard
Active1993
Countries Seychelles
TypeCoast guard
RoleCoastal defence, maritime law
EngagementsAnti-piracy measures in Somalia
Operation Prosperity Guardian

The Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG) is a branch of the Seychelles People's Defence Force created in 1993.[1] It is a maritime, military, multi-mission service. They acquired responsibility for search and rescue for vessel incidents as well as environmental protection from the Seychelles Port Authority, formerly known as the Port and Marine Services Division.

Although Seychelles is a small country, it is located off the Horn of Africa, strategically close to the operation of notorious pirates. Sri Lanka, China, United Arab Emirates[2][3] and India[4][5] have made strategic donations of patrol vessels to the Seychelles.

History

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Through the Seychelles Coast Guard's employment of her small fleet, Seychelles has been able to arrest, try, and convict many pirates. On April 20, 2011, the Seychellois patrol boats La Fleche and Andromache engaged Somali pirates in combat for over an hour and a half before recapturing the Seychellois fishing vessel Gloria which had been taken by the pirates two days earlier.[6] In 2013 the UAE paper The National reported that Seychelles was imprisoning more than 100 convicted pirates at the time.[7]

In May 2011, the SCG helped to protect the privacy of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their honeymoon on the North Island. At the end of their stay, the couple invited several members of the Coast Guard ashore to personally thank them for their efforts.[8]

In 2023 the country is involved in Operation Prosperity Guardian.

Equipment

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Patrol ships are named after local fishing banks and natural features.[9]

Current vessels

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Name Quantity Image Length Notes Origin Ref.
Saya De Malha  – 41 m (134 ft 6 in) SCG's first auxiliary vessel Portugal [10]
Thorpe  – 15 m (49 ft 3 in) Wave Rider-class; Cummins engine, 42 knots (78 km/h; 48 mph) Sri Lanka [11][12][13]
African  –
Etoile  – 39 m (127 ft 11 in) Shanghai-class II; Built especially as per Seychelles specifications. Equipped with a 6.5-metre speed boat China [14][15]
La Fleche  – 30 m (98 ft 5 in) Rodman Group, Spain built UAE [16][17]
Le Vigilant  – UAE [16][17]
 – 3 7 m (23 ft 0 in) Rigid hull inflatables UAE [16][17]
Fortune  – 14.3 m (46 ft 11 in) Saw service with Royal National Lifeboat Institution United Kingdom [18]
Zoroaster  – 50 m (164 ft 1 in) 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph) India [9][19]
Hermes  – 27.5 m (90 ft 3 in) L&T-class fast interceptor craft (ex C-405) India [20]
Constant  – 46 m (150 ft 11 in) Trinkat-class; 320-ton vessel, 56–60 km/h (35–37 mph) speeds; SDB Mk 5 patrol vessel India [5]
Topaz  – 48 m (157 ft 6 in) Trinkat-class; Medium refit in 2017 India [21][22]

Former vessels

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Aircraft

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Seychelles Coast Guard". Seychelles People's Defence Force. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  2. ^ "UAE donates patrol vessels to Seychelles". Baird Maritime. January 10, 2011. Archived from the original on January 10, 2011. Retrieved February 13, 2017. "The UAE pledged the donation of five maritime patrol vessels in July last year... We are deeply grateful for this gesture and we note its importance as our fight against piracy is an immediate concern, which requires swift action and concrete support from the international community," said Seychellois President Michel.
  3. ^ "UAE hands over 5 Coast Guard vessels". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Seychelles). April 1, 2011. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2017. Two of these patrol boats are 30 metres long and can carry around 15 people each. The first has been named La Flèche and the second is Le Vigilant.
  4. ^ "A milestone in our relations"- Indian Navy hands over patrol ship to Seychelles Coast Guard". Seychelles Ministry of Foreign Affairs. October 11, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2017. Seychelles now has 6 patrol ships: Topaz, Constant, Andromache, Etoile, La Flèche and Le Vigilant.
  5. ^ a b Lablache, John; Uranie, Sharon (November 7, 2014). "India gifts second patrol ship to Seychelles – 'PS Constant' has the youngest Seychellois commanding officer". Seychelles News Agency. Retrieved February 13, 2017. Apart from Etoile and Constant there are four other patrol vessels in the Seychelles Coast Guard's fleet; Topaz, Andromache (built in Italy in 1982 and funded by the Seychelles government) and La Flèche and Le Vigilant (both gifted by the UAE in 2011).
  6. ^ https://sherloc.unodc.org/cld/uploads/res/case-law-doc/piracycrimetype/syc/2011/the_republic_vs__abdukar_ahmed_five_5_others_html/SEY_1A.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  7. ^ Badam, Ramola Talwar (March 11, 2013). "UAE a vital ally in piracy war". The National. Dubai. Retrieved February 13, 2017. Over the past few years, the UAE has provided the Seychelles with a coast guard headquarters, radar stations, patrol boats and surveillance aircraft. There are now about 100 Somali pirates facing jail terms in the Seychelles and helping provide information about piracy gangs.
  8. ^ "Prince William and Duchess of Cambridge end honeymoon". BBC News. May 21, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2011. The Seychelles coastguard helped protect the couple's privacy as they stayed on North Island, the report added. On their last day the royal couple invited the coastguard ashore to personally thank them for their efforts.
  9. ^ a b Joubert, Patrick (June 30, 2021). "New SCG patrol boat commissioned". Seychelles Nation. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  10. ^ Joubert, Patrick (January 31, 2022). "Coast Guard gets new supply vessel". Seychelles Nation. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  11. ^ "Two "Wave Riders" donated to Seychelles". Daily Mirror Online Sri Lanka. February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  12. ^ Pointe, Elsie (February 15, 2020). "New patrol boats join Coast Guard fleet". Seychelles News Agency. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  13. ^ "Seychelles Coast Guard commissions patrol boat pair". Baird Maritime. February 17, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  14. ^ Thande, George; Uranie, Sharon (April 29, 2014). "China gifts maritime patrol ship to Seychelles". Seychelles News Agency. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  15. ^ "New patrol boat to boost Seychelles' capability to better protect EEZ". Seychelles Nation. June 20, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  16. ^ a b c "UAE hands over Coast Guard vessels". State House, Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles. January 6, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  17. ^ a b c "UAE donates boats to help combat piracy". Seychelles Nation. December 13, 2010. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  18. ^ "UK sends patrol boat for Seychelles Coast Guard". Seychelles Nation. June 4, 2010. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  19. ^ "India Hands Over FPV SCG PS Zoroaster to Seychelles Coast Guard". Force India. April 9, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  20. ^ "Interceptor boat from India handed over to Seychelles". Seychelles Nation. January 2, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  21. ^ "India donates patrol boat to Seychelles". defenceWeb. Reuters. November 10, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  22. ^ "Seychelles: Navy completes Seychelles ship refit". The Times of India. February 17, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  23. ^ Uranie, Sharon (July 27, 2014). "32 year old Seychelles patrol ship, Andromache, heads to Sri Lanka for major refit". Seychelles News Agency. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  24. ^ Duval, Roland (July 29, 2021). "Decommissioned PS Andromache sold for R320,000 at auction". Seychelles Nation. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  25. ^ "China gives Seychelles two planes worth $11m". Seychelles Nation. June 17, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  26. ^ "India gifts Dornier Aircraft Do-228 to Seychelles". The Statesman. June 26, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2022.

Further reading

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