A U.S. Coast Guard C-130 from Air Station Barbers Point sits on the ramp after a flight. This photo is not from Operation Kuru Kuru, but a C-130 was involved. HONOLULU – The U.S. Coast Guard has concluded Operation Kuru Kuru, an annually held comprehensive two-week operation in the Pacific region, highlighting the Coast Guard’s commitment to supporting international partners in the region.
Operation Kuru Kuru, executed from 22 Oct. to 3 Nov. 2023, is a collaborative effort with the Regional Fisheries Surveillance Centre, aimed at countering Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing across the region.
The operation encompasses a wide array of objectives, including enhancing cooperative surveillance engagement between participating nations, conducting boarding activities at sea to combat IUU fishing, and utilizing remote sensing information to drive intelligence-led operations. This operation covers a combined area of 15 participating Pacific Island Country exclusive economic zones and the adjacent high seas pockets, approximating 8.2 million square miles, an area more than twice the size of the continental United States.
"The U.S. Coast Guard’s presence and contributions to Operation Kuru Kuru underscore our commitment to regional security and disaster response," said Cmdr. Andrew Williams, enforcement branch chief for U.S. Coast Guard District 14. "We are honored to stand alongside our international partners as we work together to address challenges that impact the Pacific region."
While engaged in the region, the Coast Guard offers a host of mission capabilities, including proactively supporting search and rescue operations, humanitarian aid, and air and vessel surveillance to counter illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing across the region.
During this operation, a Coast Guard C-130 based out of Coast Guard District 14’s Air Station Barbers Point, responded to a request from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Fiji to perform search and rescue operations in and around the Nonouti Island, Gilbert Islands, Kiribati. […]
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