Expanding partnerships: U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stone arrives in … – DVIDS

SUAPE, Brazil – USCGC Stone (WMSL 758) has arrived at Port Suape, Pernambuco, Brazil for a scheduled port call on Monday.

The port call will be the first destination of a planned multi-mission deployment in the South Atlantic to combat illicit maritime activity and strengthen maritime sovereignty ties across the region. The visit also highlights the U.S.-Brazil partnership to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Stone’s commanding officer, U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Clinton Carlson, said: “It is a real honor to work with the Brazilian maritime force as we work together to increase interoperability and maintain a rules-based international order at sea.”

Stone last deployed to the South Atlantic from December 2020 to February 2021. During deployment, Stone operated the U.S. Coast Guard’s Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fisheries Strategic Outlook, published September 2020.

“Our current rollout aims to deepen our interagency and international partnerships,” Carlson said. “We have embarked on an increase in personnel from representatives of the United States Navy and Marine Corps, as well as the Brazilian Navy, to strengthen our capabilities. We will provide a flexible, mobile and integrated team that can secure the region and protect free and open access to the seas for all law-abiding countries.”

The United States and Brazil enjoy a vibrant and cooperative relationship that encompasses a wide range of internationally shared political and economic concerns. Ten bilateral agreements signed in March 2011 and five more in April 2012 codify nations’ common commitment to maritime security and environmental stewardship in the Atlantic Ocean. This is what I did. Both countries are members of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. The Commission can study and manage highly migratory fish species and facilitate the implementation of conservation and management measures for fish covered by the Commission.

Stone is the ninth Legend-class National Security Cutter in the Coast Guard Fleet and is currently homeported from Charleston, South Carolina. National security cutters can carry out the most difficult national security missions, including supporting U.S. combat commanders.

Stone is in command of the U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Region. The U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Region, based in Portsmouth, Virginia, oversees all Coast Guard operations east of the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf. In addition to reinforcement operations, they also assign ships to work with partner commands and deploy them in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific to combat international organized crime and illegal maritime activities.