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The US Department of State has provided the Djiboutian navy with two high-speed aluminium coastal security boats to strengthen Djibouti's maritime security capabilities in order to protect its borders and combat piracy, smuggling and terrorist threats.

 During a boat delivery and turnover ceremony at the Djibouti Navy Headquarters, Escale Marina, on April 4, more than a dozen Djiboutian sailors received certification for the patrol boats.

The boats, Metal Shark 28 Defiants, follow the recent implementation of Djibouti's 12 nautical mile-reaching Regional Maritime Awareness Capability system and Automatic Identification System receivers that enable detection of maritime activities within about 100 nautical miles, US Africa Command said. These assets enhance Djibouti's maritime security capability to monitor the more than 20,000 vessels that transit annually through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Djibouti's (off-shore) jurisdiction is 12 nautical miles from its coastline, Djama noted, and Yemen is 16 nautical miles from Djibouti, at the nearest point.

Overall, Guido stressed the importance of continually fostering the partnership between Djibouti and the U.S. Given the volume of commercial and Navy traffic going through its straits.