Defence Headquarters, 08 JAN. ‘24 (RBDF): Joint efforts between the Operation Bahamas,
Turks and Caicos (OPBAT) and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) resulted in the
successful apprehension of a Haitian Sailing Vessel in the vicinity of Southwest Point West
Caicos on Friday past.
On January 5, 2024, OPBAT reported the detection of a migrant vessel by aircraft 22 nautical
miles of Southwest Point West Caicos. HMBS NASSAU, under the command of Lieutenant
Commander Jataro McDonald, was dispatched and successfully intercepted the Vessel
approximately 17 nautical miles of the area.
Further investigations uncovered a total of 215 undocumented migrants, which included 175
males, 31 females, 4 male minors, and 4 female minors. In the interest of the safety and well-
being of the migrants, immediate measures were taken to ensure their comfort and medical needs
were addressed.
HMBS NASSAU safely transported the migrants to Turks and Caicos Islands, where they
arrived on Saturday January 6, and were turned over to the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI)
authorities for further processing.
This seamless collaboration between OPBAT and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force supports
Commodore Raymond King’s commitment to fostering enhanced collaboration between the
RBDF, local and regional partners whose shared expertise and resources play a pivotal role in
swift and efficient resolution to matters in the region.
