The USCGC Stone (WMSL 758) arrived in the Port of Suape, Pernambuco, Brazil, for a scheduled port visit Monday.
This port visit marks the first stop for Stone on its scheduled multi-mission deployment in the South Atlantic to counter illicit maritime activities and strengthen relationships for maritime sovereignty throughout the region. This visit also highlights the partnership between U.S. and Brazil to counter illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
“All nations benefit from free and open access to the maritime domain,” said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Clinton Carlson, Stone’s commanding officer. “It’s a real privilege to work with Brazil’s maritime forces as we increase our interoperability and work together to uphold the rules-based international order at sea.”
Stone last deployed to the South Atlantic from December of 2020 to February of 2021. During the deployment, Stone operationalized the U.S. Coast Guard’s Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Strategic Outlook, published in September of 2020.
“Our current deployment seeks to deepen our interagency and international partnerships,” said Carlson. “We have embarked personnel augments from the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps as well as representatives from the Brazilian Navy to enhance our capabilities. In leveraging our connections at home and abroad, we provide a flexible, mobile and integrated team capable of enforcing international laws, ensuring regional security and safeguarding free and open access to the sea for all law-abiding nations.”
The United States and Brazil enjoy active, cooperative relations encompassing a broad span of internationally shared political and economic concerns. Ten bilateral agreements signed in March 2011 and five more signed in April 2012 codified the nations’ shared commitment to maritime security and environmental stewardship in the Atlantic Ocean. Both countries participate in the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, which studies and manages highly migratory fish species and can facilitate the enforcement of conservation and management measures regarding fish covered by the commission.
Stone is the ninth Legend-class national security cutter in the Coast Guard fleet and currently homeports in Charleston, South Carolina. The national security cutters can execute the most challenging national security missions, including support to U.S. combatant commanders.
Stone is under the command of U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area. Based in Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area oversees all Coast Guard operations east of the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf. In addition to surge operations, they also allocate ships to work with partner commands and deploy to the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific to combat transnational organized crime and illicit maritime activity.
