The Guyana Defence Force today said that Coast Guard ranks yesterday investigated a report of piracy which had occurred off the Essequibo Coast in the Pomeroon and, in the process, found a second vessel which had reportedly suffered the same fate.
The five-man crew of the fishing vessel “Tony” was the first to report being attacked by pirates, the GDF said. They made good their escape and filed their report at the Coast Guard Floating Base, at the mouth of the Pomeroon River.
Immediately, and in keeping with GDF’s Standard Operating Procedures, the GDF said that Coast Guard ranks at the Floating Base launched a patrol between the mouth of the Pomeroon River and Morawhanna.
The patrol found another five fishermen in an unnamed vessel who also reported having been attacked by pirates. Their boat was taken along with the engines for the vessel in which they were found tied up, and they been left adrift at sea. The Coast Guard called out a fishing trawler and instructed that the men be taken to Charity, where they subsequently made a report to the police.
Both fishing crews reported that they came under gunfire while the attackers made good their escape. The matters are being investigated further by the Coast Guard and the Police.
