The vessels are part of the Maritime Safety and Security Team based in Honolulu, Hawaii but are directly working for the Deployable Operations Group based in Washington, D.C.
The team leader, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Frederick Becker, said Saipan residents have nothing to worry about.
Their deployment, he said, is part of a training mission that includes familiarizing themselves with the ports of Saipan and Tinian.
Their arrival here on Sunday aboard a C-5 aircraft coincided with North Korea’s rocket launch, but their deployment has nothing to do with it, Becker said.
They are working with the Coast Guard’s Sector Guam which is also conducting training and port familiarization.
His team, Becker said, is deployed whenever there are coastal security issues or something similar to the 9/11 attack.
They also respond to major oil spills or major security alerts, involving natural disaster.
While here for the next two weeks, Becker said they will familiarize themselves with local ports and the CNMI’s other critical infrastructure.
The team is composed of 12 crewmembers who run the three safe boats, 10 maritime law enforcer protection team members and six support personnel.
“We are just going to be around the coastal areas here on Saipan and Tinian,” Becker.
Two of the three safe boats were scheduled to be launched at the Smiling Cove yesterday to escort the Dawn Princess cruse ship to the open waters in the afternoon.
