Liberian National Coast Guard

Liberian National Coast Guard
Founded1959
Country Liberia
TypeCoast guard
AnniversariesFebruary 11
EngagementsFirst Liberian Civil War
Second Liberian Civil War
Commanders
Commander-in-ChiefPresident Joseph Boakai
Minister of National DefenseGeraldine George
Commander of the Coast GuardCaptain (LCG) Daniel ZB Holman Jr.[1]
Insignia
Naval Jack
Ensign

The Liberian National Coast Guard is the naval force of Liberia, part of the Armed Forces of Liberia. Its main duties are law enforcement along Liberia's coast and in its maritime area, and aiding those in distress.[2]

History

Liberia acquired a small number of naval ships during its early history. In 1892 the steel gunboat Gorronomah, built in Ireland, became its first ship, and in 1894 it acquired the gunboat Rocktown, built in the Netherlands. They were both out of service by 1900. In 1916 the auxiliary schooner President Howard was acquired from Germany and was the only ship in the Liberian Navy, but it was sunk in April 1918 by the German submarine U-154.[3][4]

The Liberian National Coast Guard was established in 1959.[5] Following the civil wars, the modern Liberian National Coast Guard was formally instituted under the National Defense Act of 2008.[2]

Throughout the Tubman period, the Coast Guard was little more than a few sometimes unserviceable patrol craft crewed by ill-trained personnel, though its training improved in the 1980s to the point where it was considered the best trained of the armed services.[5]

In 1984 the Liberian National Coast Guard contained about 450 personnel.[6] Under Samuel Doe the Coast Guard was retitled the Liberian Navy in 1986 through the passage of The Liberian Navy Act of 1986.[7] However, as a result of the First and Second Liberian civil wars, the navy lost control of its bases and was reduced to an insignificant force.[6] The deterioration of maritime security during the postwar period contributed to concerns over illegal fishing and the limited capacity of Liberia to monitor its territorial waters.[8]

The Coast Guard was reactivated on the 53rd Armed Forces Day on February 11, 2010, with an initial strength of 40 personnel who had been trained in the United States.[9] A United States Coast Guard officer was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia to support efforts to reestablish the Liberian Coast Guard.[10]

A detachment from SeaBee Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 7, based at Naval Station Rota, Spain, constructed a United States Africa Command-funded boat ramp and concrete perimeter wall for the Coast Guard, which was handed over in December 2010.[11] In February 2011, the United States turned over two donated USCG Defender class boats to the Coast Guard.[12]

Modern developments

The Liberian National Coast Guard has participated in Exercise Obangame Express, an annual multinational maritime security exercise sponsored by the United States Africa Command and involving naval and coast guard forces from West and Central Africa. The exercise focuses on maritime interdiction, fisheries enforcement, anti-piracy operations, and regional coordination among participating states.[13]

In 2019, the United States Coast Guard removed long-standing conditions of entry that had applied to vessels arriving in the United States from Liberia since 2005. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, assessments conducted in 2018 found that Liberia was actively working to maintain effective anti-terrorism measures in its maritime and port operations.[14]

The Coast Guard has also participated in maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, and disaster response operations. In 2024, a Nigerian national was sentenced in Liberia in connection with a piracy-related case off the Liberian coast.[15] The same year, Coast Guard personnel rescued 35 residents trapped by flooding in Kpelleh Town during "Operation Rising Tide".[16]

Fleet

The Coast Guard primarily operates small patrol craft used for coastal patrol, fisheries enforcement, and search and rescue missions.

In 2024, the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority transferred a patrol vessel to the Ministry of Defense for use by the Liberian National Coast Guard to support fisheries enforcement and maritime security operations.[17]

The fleet of the Liberian National Coast Guard has included:

  • 1x fisheries patrol vessel (Aegis)
  • 2x 27' Defenders (SAFE 27 Full Cabin)
  • 2x 33' Law Enforcement (SPC-LE) - based on Defender-class (SAFE 33 Full Cabin)[18]
  • 2x 24' Boston Whalers[6]

Ranks

Main article: Military ranks of Liberia

The ranks and insignia of the Liberian National Coast Guard are based on those of the United States Coast Guard, and are laid out in the Liberian Defense Act of 2008.[2]

Officers

Rank group General/flag officers Senior officers Junior officers
Liberian National Coast Guard[19]
Captain Commander Lieutenant commander Lieutenant Lieutenant (junior grade) Ensign

Enlisted personnel

Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted
Liberian National Coast Guard[19]
Master chief petty officer Senior chief petty officer Chief petty officer Petty officer first class Petty officer second class Petty officer third class Seaman Seaman recruit

References

  1. ^ "Profile of Captain (CG) Daniel Z.B. Holman Jr". Facebook. Armed Forces of Liberia. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  2. ^ a b c "Defense Act of 2008" (PDF). 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  3. ^ Mach, Andrzej V. (1986). "Liberia". In Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. p. 417. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
  4. ^ Lyon, Hugh (1979). "Liberia". In Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger; Kolesnik, Eugene M. (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. p. 417. ISBN 0-8317-0302-4.
  5. ^ a b "Library of Congress Liberia Country Study 1984: Organization and Strength". Washington DC. Retrieved 23 May 2017. Accessed via GlobalSecurity.org
  6. ^ a b c "Brief History on the Liberian Coast Guard". Ministry of National Defense. 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  7. ^ "Ellen Signs Anti-Corruption Act, Commissions Several Officials", The Inquirer (Monrovia), August 22, 2008
  8. ^ Liberia Poverty Reduction Strategy (PDF) (Report). World Bank. 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  9. ^ Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President's Annual Message Archived 2010-01-30 at the Wayback Machine, January 25, 2010
  10. ^ Chief Petty Officer Jason Morris, APS, Seabees Bolster Liberia's Coast Guard Archived 20 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Africa Partnership Station Public Affairs, 20 October 2009
  11. ^ NMCB 7 Liberia Detachment Receives Commendation, May 30, 2010. Retrieved June 2010, and Liberian Coast Guard Ready for 24/7 Ops, December 29, 2010. Retrieved February 21, 2011
  12. ^ http://www.liberianobserver.com/node/10592 US Equip AFL with 2 Boats
  13. ^ "Obangame Express". United States Africa Command. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  14. ^ "Global Tracking and Maritime Solutions Holdings Helps Liberia Get Off U.S. Coast Guard Advisory List". FrontPage Africa. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  15. ^ "Nigerian Man Sentenced for Piracy in Liberia". Liberian Investigator. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  16. ^ "Liberia Coast Guard Rescues 35 in Flooded Kpelleh Town During Operation Rising Tide". Liberian Investigator. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  17. ^ "Liberian Fisheries Authority Handover Patrol Vessel to MOD". Maritimafrica. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  18. ^ "USCG: About Us - Aircraft & Cutters". www.uscg.mil. Archived from the original on 22 January 2012.
  19. ^ a b "Defense Act of 2008" (PDF). 3 September 2008. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 July 2025. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
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