Coast Guard conducts counter-terror drill

MALABO, Equatorial Guinea, July 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. Coast Guard recently conducted counter-terrorism exercises with Equatorial Guinea's navy in support of a collaborative training initiative.

The Coast Guard Cutter Dallas, stationed off the coast of Equatorial Guinea as part of the U.S. and Europe's Partnership Station initiative, took part in counter-terrorism and search-and-rescue drills with five Equatorial Guinean naval vessels, the Coast Guard reported.

The three-day at-sea training was the first collaborative tactical naval exercise between the United States and Equatorial Guinea in decades. Officials say the counter-terrorism exercise involved the boarding of a suspicious vessel in the Alba Field Gas Platforms and taking the crew into custody.

Crews also simulated a search-and-rescue operation, among other security drills, to reinforce procedural measures to counter maritime threats to Equatorial Guinea.

"While it was a privilege to play a minor part in these exercises, the true benefit was the extensive coordination and cooperation between industry and the Equatorial Guinea navy to provide for the maritime security of infrastructure so critical to the regional economy and global stability," Coast Guard Capt. Robert Wagner, Dallas commanding officer, said in a statement.