| Office of Public Affairs U.S. Coast Guard Seventh District |
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| Media Advisory |
Date: March 8, 2004 Contact: |
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DUTCH WARSHIP VISITS PUERTO RICO, RETURNS TO FIGHT DRUG TRAFFIC **Press Conference** SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The Royal Dutch Navy ship HNLMS Van Galen is currently docked at the U.S. Coast Guard Base in Old San Juan. The media is invited aboard the Van Galen at12:45 p.m., tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon for a short presentation beginning at 1 p.m. After the presentation, the crew of the Van Galen will be available for media questions for 20 minutes. The Van Galen is a 401-foot (122m) frigate with 155 crewmen. Also deployed aboard the Van Galen is a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment from San Diego, consisting of eight boarding officers whose law enforcement authority allows this warship to be utilized as a law enforcement platform. Also aboard is a Belgian Alouette-3 helicopter and its crew that will be used to assist in the detection and tracking of suspicious vessels. Van Galen and her multinational crew will be patrolling the Caribbean waters as part of the Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) to stop the flow of illegal drugs transiting the area. The crew of the Van Galen invites the press to come aboard to learn more about the ship, its crew and this very important mission.
MEDIA MEMBERS ARE REQUESTED TO ARRIVE AT THE COAST GUARD BASE (LA PUNTILLA), NO LATER THAN 12:45 P.M. ### The U.S. Coast Guard is a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the |
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