Coast Guard chase boat onto Petit Bordel Beach

Petit Bordel bay was a scene of high drama last Saturday, February 28th, at noon, when a St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) coastguard vessel, SVG 03, with guns blazing, chased a Dominican registered vessel onto the beach.{{more}}

The chase began just off the coast of Chateaubelair, and the blue, yellow and black wide-bodied pirogue named Blue Ocean, with registration number J7 205 TCE and twin 200 horsepower Yamaha engines flew through the pass and ran up on to the sand at Petit Bordel bay.

The two men who were onboard escaped into the village.

SEARCHLIGHT understands that the boat was looted soon after it arrived on the beach. Hundreds of people converged on the scene from Petit Bordel, nearby Rose Bank and Chateaubelair; some even arrived by vehicle.

Pandemonium broke out when reinforcement in the form of the larger coastguard vessel SVG 10 and three vehicles with Special Service Unit (SSU) and Rapid Response Unit (RRU) officers, all heavily armed, arrived on the scene.

A young man who had been pointed out by the coastguard officers was chased and apprehended by some RRU officers. Another young man was also taken into custody. SEARCHLIGHT understands that they were both released on Sunday. However, up to press time the men who escaped from the Dominican vessel remained at large.