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In Sao Tome and Cape Verde, the Portuguese Air Force controls the Gulf of Guinea.

A Portuguese Air Force aircraft with a crew of 37 soldiers, including two women, is participating in joint inspection missions in Cape Verde’s exclusive economic zone until Monday.

On Thursday afternoon, a P3-C Orion aircraft took off from the international airport of Praia, the capital of the archipelago, on the fourth flight under the agreement between the two countries, which reaches the age of majority (18 years) this year and which governs the Joint Maritime Supervision Agreement spaces under the sovereignty or jurisdiction of the Republic of Cape Verde, signed on September 16, 2006.

This weekend’s missions in Cape Verde are the latest in a journey that began almost a month ago under the African Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership (AMLEP).

The Portuguese Air Force P3-C Orion aircraft took off from Beja Air Base on March 4 for a 30-day mission and approximately 100 hours of flight time that began in Sao Tome and Principe.

It has already completed 50 hours over Cape Verdean waters and plans to complete another 30 before it ends on Monday.

“The overall intention of Portugal in this bilateral cooperation and with international organizations is to contribute to stability in the Gulf of Guinea,” in this case through surveillance in the maritime areas of Sao Tome and Principe and Cape Verde, says Major Bruno Silveira, who heads the detachment .

The Gulf of Guinea is a vast area of ​​the Atlantic Ocean that follows the African coastal trench, stretching from Cote d’Ivoire (in the northwest) to Gabon (in the southeast) and where incidents of piracy and illicit activities are regularly reported.

Portugal is joining international efforts to “guarantee free movement and prevent illicit trafficking,” Bruno Silveira explains inside the plane, checking operations both in the cockpit and at the observation posts.

During the flight, squadron members watch images from video cameras scanning the sea on monitors, while others show signals detected by sensors.

There are other elements that observe the sea directly through binoculars.

For a few moments, the images and information on the monitors focus on the boat: the last trip of the day is focused on the fishing boats.

“This aircraft collects information which it passes on to Cape Verdean authorities, who then assess whether there is any threat to maritime activity or signs of illegality,” he explains.

“We are at the service of the authorities: when we find something interesting, we report it,” explains Bruno Silveira.

The P3-C Orion’s autonomy allowed it to fly continuously for six to eight hours over archipelago waters, ensuring coverage of the entire exclusive economic zone on each flight.

The surveillance balance will only be released after the missions are completed on Monday, with 601 Squadron scheduled to return to Beja on Tuesday.

Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal

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