On March 2, 2025, Guyana heightened its security measures following the unauthorized entry of a Venezuelan navy vessel into its EEZ. President Irfaan Ali confirmed the deployment of air assets and Coast Guard resources to safeguard critical installations, including ExxonMobil’s FPSO Prosperity. The Venezuelan vessel claimed the FPSO was operating in “undelimited waters.”

Guyana has declared a state of heightened alert following the entry of a Venezuelan navy vessel into its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) on the morning of March 2, 2025. This incident has prompted the mobilization of air assets and the Coast Guard to the area in question. President Irfaan Ali addressed the nation, emphasizing that the Venezuelan vessel approached critical installations, including the Prosperity floating production storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) owned by ExxonMobil, which operates in Guyana’s Stabroek Block.

President Ali identified the intruding vessel as “ABF Wakari PO-11 IMO 4695542,” belonging to the Venezuelan Coast Guard. He asserted that Guyana’s installations, such as the FPSO Prosperity, are legally situated and operating within the country’s EEZ. Additionally, reports indicate that the Venezuelan patrol boat broadcast a message claiming the FPSO was in what they termed “undelimited waters,” challenging the legitimacy of Guyana’s maritime claims.

In summary, Guyana has taken decisive measures, including the activation of air and maritime defense assets, in response to a Venezuelan naval incursion into its EEZ. President Irfaan Ali has defended the legality of operations in the area, marking an escalation in tensions over territorial waters between the two nations.

Original Source: www.jamaicaobserver.com