APIA – The United States Coast Guard, in partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Apia, has launched a Maritime Boarding Officer Course in Samoa. The training, held from 9 to 20 June 2025, aims to strengthen Samoa’s maritime law enforcement capacity.
Samoa Police and Fisheries officers took part in the course alongside the U.S. Coast Guard Mobile Training Team and the Fourteenth Coast Guard District. The programme included classroom learning and practical boarding exercises, covering areas such as international maritime law, arrest procedures, vessel search techniques, and inter-agency coordination.
“This training will prepare personnel to handle a wide range of scenarios with professionalism and confidence,” said Lieutenant Channing Meyer of the Fourteenth District. “It helps protect Samoa’s maritime borders and ensures safety at sea.”
The course is one of 20 delivered across the Pacific since 2023, and the first of its kind held in Samoa in recent years. It supports the U.S. Coast Guard’s ongoing cooperation with Pacific Island nations and aligns with Australia’s Pacific Maritime Security Program.
“This training builds operational capacity and strengthens collaboration between Samoa and the United States,” said U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Daniel Tarapacki.
The initiative also complements the shiprider agreement between the U.S. and Samoa, which allows local officers to conduct joint patrols aboard U.S. vessels in Samoa’s exclusive economic zone.
The course was designed to equip boarding officers with the skills and confidence to carry out maritime law enforcement at sea effectively.
