PORT ANGELES — Coast Guard-type vessels and crews from Japan, Russian, China, Canada and U.S. Coast Guard cutters will arrive in Port Angeles on Sunday for a humanitarian training exercise called Pacific Unity.
The multi-national fleet will train in the Port Angeles area, beginning Monday, until it departs for Seattle on Wednesday.
Multinational exercise
Pacific Unity is part of the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum, an international partnership of Coast Guard-like agencies from the Pacific rim.
It was initiated in 2000 to foster multilateral cooperation for exchanging information on maritime security, fisheries enforcement, illegal drug trafficking and illegal migration.
This year’s Pacific Unity scenario will demonstrate the participating countries’ ability to assist a fictitious nation, Pacifica, the Coast Guard said.
Coordinated search and rescue, navigation, law enforcement and security operations will take place.
Security personnel from South Korea are scheduled to join in the exercise.
Six vessels are scheduled to participate in the 2009 Pacific Unity.
They are U.S. Coast Guard cutters Henry Blake and Midgett, Canadian Coast Guard cutter Provo Wallis, Canadian hovercraft Siyay, Japanese Coast Guard cutter Yashima and the Russian border guard vessel Vorovskiy.
The Port of Port Angeles will provide four berths for the ships.
The city of Port Angeles is renting Lincoln Park to Pacific Unity for a private barbecue and sports day from noon to 4 p.m. Monday.
“They were just looking for a place to come play,” city of Port Angeles spokeswoman Teresa Pierce said.
Port Angeles Mayor Gary Braun will welcome the fleet during the picnic, which will be closed to the public, Pierce said.
The exercise ends Thursday in Seattle.
