The Ministries of Defence and Interior, represented by the Kuwaiti Naval Force and the General Administration of the Coast Guard, have initiated the formation of a joint security force to protect the Kuwaiti economic waters, after repeated incidents of piracy and looting against Kuwaiti fishing vessels.
The sources told Al-Jarida that First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and Acting Minister of Defense Sheikh Talal Al-Khalid discussed, during his meeting at the Mohammed Al-Ahmad Naval Base, in the presence of the leaders of the Naval Force and the Coast Guard, the special needs for forming this joint force.
With the coordination of the Fishermen’s Union, emergency numbers have been distributed to the federation to report any incidents of marine piracy.
The joint force consists of patrol boats and ships, in addition to civil patrols affiliated with the Maritime Security Department, and others affiliated with the Maritime Force Intelligence, noting that the patrols will work around the clock, and will deal firmly with any targets that penetrate the country’s economic waters to carry out piracy and plundering operations.
It is noteworthy to make a mention that the Kuwaiti fishermen often complain of being subjected to attacks and looting by pirates inside Kuwait’s economic waters, the last of which happened last week, which caused injury to one fisherman.