US Coast Guard’s cutter Steadfast completes patrol mission in Eastern Pacific

The US Coast Guard’s Reliance-class cutter Steadfast has successfully completed a 50-day counterdrug patrol mission in the Eastern Pacific.

During the deployment, the 49-year-old Steadfast vessel has patrolled international waters off the coasts of Mexico and Central America.

The crew of medium-endurance Steadfast cutter has interdicted five separate vessels suspected of smuggling illegal drugs and recovered nearly 12,000 pounds of cocaine which estimated to cost $180m.

Steadfast commanding officer commander Alain Balmaceda said: “Their teamwork was vital to successfully combating transnational organised crime in drug trafficking zones over the past several months.”

The 210-foot cutter has also conducted a search and rescue mission during the patrol, rescuing three fishermen who were stranded 300 miles off the coast of Mexico.

Balmaceda added: “During this deployment, Steadfast and her crew sailed over 11,000 miles, and their success ensured the maritime safety and security in the Eastern Pacific Region.”

An interagency training has also been carried out by Steadfast crew members off the coast of Southern California, along with the members of a Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) and US Navy aircrews.

During the training, the MSST members carried out vertical insertion exercises from the US Navy helicopters onto the Steadfast cutter.

Prior to this mission, the vessel has completed a two-and-a-half month counterdrug deployment in the Eastern Pacific and returned to its homeports in April last year.

The Steadfast vessel’s primary missions include law enforcement, search and rescue, environmental protection and fisheries enforcement.