‘Bertholf’ makes waves in Port Klang

Impressive: A man taking a picture of the US Coast Guard’s ‘Bertholf’ docked in Port Klang. — AZMAN GHANI/The Star

KLANG: The United States Coast Guard’s Bertholf legend-class has docked for the first time at Port Klang.

Its crew is here on a mission to strengthen the US Coast Guard’s relationships with its counterparts in the region.

The ship’s commanding officer Capt William L. Mees, said they were here to build a more stable, free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific.

“As a trusted partner, the US Coast Guard is proud to operate with the Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) to conduct professional exchanges to improve the maritime capabilities of both countries.

“By partnering with the MMEA, the Coast Guard seeks to strengthen global maritime governance to preserve sovereignty, share information to facilitate force-multiplying partnerships, and demonstrate professional standards of behaviour to reinforce the rules of law at sea,” he said onboard the vessel yesterday.

Capt Mees and his crew welcomed members of the press and gave them a tour of the vessel.

The Bertholf is the first Legend-class maritime security cutter of the US Coast Guard.

The ship, which was launched on Sept 29, 2006, is 127m long and powered by two diesel engines and a gas turbine.

It was named after Commodore Ellsworth Price Bertholf, the Coast Guard’s First Commandant.

Capt Mees said he and his crew were excited to be in Malaysia.

“The food, I heard, is very good,” he said.

When asked about the most dramatic experience he has had onboard, Capt Mees said it was their journey to Klang.

“It happened in the past few days going through the Strait of Singapore and the Strait of Malacca.

“I think we encountered thousands of vessels that averaged between 800ft and 1,300ft long.

“It really showed how this area is the epicentre of worldwide maritime commerce,” he said, adding that it was their first experience with this and that it was intense.