Thirty persons from government and private maritime security and port facilities are being trained in port security and best practices through the newly launched ‘Port Security Workshop’, as part of efforts to ensure the country’s ports function effectively and safely.
The workshop, launched today at the Pegasus Hotel, is a collaboration between the Governments of Guyana and Chile aimed at strengthening ties.
Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill stated that the workshop is timely and is significant to the growth of Guyana.
“We must recognise that port security is just a subset of maritime security a little subset of national and international security. So, this gathering here this morning might be considered very extremely important, especially in light of where we are as a country and we are going as a country.
“Guyana is becoming and has become a country that is not just a little country somewhere down in South America but it is a bright spot and the fact that our profile has been elevated our risks have also been elevated. So, we have to ensure that our ports are very safe and today we are emphasising the issue of Port security,” he said.
The one-week workshop being led by Captain Domingo Hormazabal from Chile, focuses on mitigating a series of threats such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, and other illicit activities that can impede shipping.
To this end, Minister Edghill, extended gratitude to the Chilean Government for its partnership.
Meanwhile, Chile’s Ambassador Juan Pino said his government is willing to support Guyana’s development.
“It is a great honour to continue this programme regarding maritime security in Guyana mostly because the country is facing new challenges in the future and these challenges must be united to the building capacity for all of you,”he stated.
Currently, the government is keeping track of all activities that occur across the border with an eye out for the smuggling of narcotics, weapons, and other illegal activities which pose a threat to national security and port security in general.
