Maritime Police work with US Navy Seabees Construction Unit

Members of the Maritime Police Unit and the US Navy Seabees Underwater Construction Teams have worked together to conduct engineering and hydrographic surveys in preparation for the construction of a new wharf for the Maritime Police. 09 members of the US Navy Seabees Construction Unit based in Port Hueneme, California, United States, have visited Dili from 05 to 18 October 2011. During this time they conducted detailed surveys of the depths and currents within Dili Harbour, located various wrecks (including a Japanese wreck from WWII), and conducted soil sampling to determine the nature of the bottom. The Master Diver of the visiting Seabees unit, Chief Terry Juergens explained the purpose of these surveys. “The technology used to conduct this survey is highly sophisticated. The information that has been collected will now allow us to accurately prepare plans for construction of the first stage of the Maritime Police Wharf in 2013.”

The Commander of the Maritime Police Unit, Superintendent Lino Saldanha was very impressed with the support provided by the US Navy Seabees. “The new Maritime Police Wharf will greatly improve our operational capability and the ability to perform critical maintenance on our Patrol Boats without impacting on commercial operations of the Port. The support and cooperation provided by the US Navy in conducting this research is greatly appreciated and we look forward to working with them again in 2013”