The “Defender” class boat, shown here in U.S. Coast Guard service, will now help protect Kenya’s coast

U.S. boosts Kenya coast

The U.S. government has given Kenya six naval patrol boats to help the east African nation secure its coastline. The US$3 million program includes five 25-foot “Defender” class patrol boats backed up by a 42-foot “Archangel” vessel. All are fast and can be mounted with arms, and the Archangel boat has an offshore range of 150 nautical miles. Equipment, supplies and training are also part of the program.

Kenya’s maritime security problems include drug smuggling, rampant piracy, potential terrorism and illegal arms shipments. Kenya’s northern neighbor, Somalia, is also a security hot zone, with a weak ‘transitional government’ under attack by Islamist forces.