The Coast Guard will now have a 24/7 presence in what is known as "the southern sector" after their brand new base was inaugurated today. The project started almost two years ago at the Big Creek Port and caps off a year of accomplishments following the BCG's 19th anniversary. Courtney Menzies has this story.

After breaking ground in March 2023, the ribbon was cut today at the inauguration of the Coast Guard Station at the Big Creek Port. This station means that the coast guard will be permanently present at a crucial area. And after 19 years, the Coast Guard's presence has spread to include all of Belize's maritime space.

Admiral Elton Bennett, Commandant, Belize Coast Guard
"Drug trafficking in the Gulf of Honduras has rapidly increased since the start of this year with Honduras seizing 5 tonnes of cocaine and Guatemala seizing 2 tonnes of cocaine. Mexico, our neighbors to the north, seized 3 tonnes of cocaine since the start of this year. And these are all maritime seizures."

"Today I can proudly report that the Coast Guard is strategically forward deployed on every atoll and within all our marine reserves in this country, covering almost every single channel within the inner reef. Providing governance to our sea spaces."

The base itself has dorm rooms, a kitchen stocked with groceries, and offices for the officers to carry out their duties.

And after inspecting the guard, the area rep, Rodwell Ferguson recalled a time before the inception of the Coast Guard.

Rodwell Ferguson, Area Rep., Stann Creek West
"I could recall when I was going to high school, that is almost 50 years ago, when we only had the police department as our security forces. We were a small colony then, a small British subject with less than maybe 90,000 inhabitants. And so there was no need for a coast guard or BDF. When I graduated from high school it was almost time for the inception of a Belize Defense Force."

"And 19 years ago the government of Belize decided to form the coast guard."

"It looks very admirable that we have a set of young men in this country that are here to preserve what we have and protect our seas and protect our oceans. We mitigate the amount of illegal fishing on our sea. In the past, our neighboring countries came across because there was no Coast Guard but now because there's a Coast Guard in place then we can make sure it is properly mitigated. we can't stop all the activities but reduce it dramatically."

The project cost a little over $800,000.