The United Arab Emirates Coast Guard is the official
coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...
agency of the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
and is primarily responsible for the protection of the UAE's coastline through regulation of maritime laws, maintenance of seamarks, border control, anti-smuggling operations and other services. The UAE Coast Guard is an affiliated branch of the
United Arab Emirates Armed Forces
The United Arab Emirates Armed Forces ( ar, القوات المسلحة لدولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة, Al-Quwwāt al-Musallaḥa li-Dawlat al-ʾImārāt al-ʿArabīyyah al-Muttaḥidah) are the armed forces of the Unit ...
and works in close coordination with the
United Arab Emirates Navy
The United Arab Emirates Navy is the naval branch of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces. It is small force of about 3,000 personnel. It maintains 12 well-equipped coastal patrol boats and eight missile boats.
Although primarily concerned wit ...
.
History
![United Arab Emirates soldiers in U](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/United_Arab_Emirates_soldiers_in_U.S._Coast_Guard_training.jpg)
The UAE Coast Guard was first established in 1977 under the control of the UAE Ministry of Interior. Its initial role was a para-military one rather than a Navy. It was used to patrol maritime borders and intercept foreign small craft that illegally entered its waters. Thus, its role was framed as a law enforcement issue rather than a military responsibility.
The Coast Guard remained under Ministry of Interior control until 2001 when control was transferred to the UAE Navy. This change was likely in response to increased concern over the possibility of terrorist attacks on critical infrastructure in the UAE's littoral zone and on its islands in the post-
9/11
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...
world, and the effectiveness of the Coast Guard in countering this threat.
By the beginning of 2004, the Coast Guard had become a separate service within the UAE Armed Forces, and was no longer the responsibility of the Navy. In general, the Coast Guard has been responsible for all law-enforcement activities across the country's ports, as well as inshore and offshore waters, as far as this is within its capabilities. In areas where the Coast guard is unable to do this, the Navy is expected to assume the Coast Guard's responsibility.
The Coast Guard gained attention in August 2010 when officials foiled a terrorist attack on a Japanese oil tanker which was damaged in the
Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz ( fa, تنگه هرمز ''Tangeh-ye Hormoz'' ar, مَضيق هُرمُز ''Maḍīq Hurmuz'') is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the ...
. In August 2020, three Coast Guard vessels intercepted several fishing boats that violated the
territorial waters
The term territorial waters is sometimes used informally to refer to any area of water over which a sovereign state has jurisdiction, including internal waters, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, and potenti ...
of the UAE north of
Sir Abu Nu'ayr
Sir Abu Nuayr ( ar, صِيْر أَبُو نُعَيْر, Ṣīr Abū Nuayr), Sir Bu Nuayr ( ar, صِيْر بُو نُعَيْر, Ṣīr Bū Nuʿayr), or Sir al Qawasim ( ar, صِيْر ٱلْقَوَاسِم, Ṣīr Al-Qawāsim; also romanized ...
island in the
Emirate of Sharjah
The Emirate of Sharjah (; ar, إِمَارَة ٱلشَّارِقَة ') is one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates, which covers and has a population of over 1,400,000 (2015). It comprises the capital city of Sharjah, after which it ...
. The fishing boats did not comply and the Coast Guard followed the rules of engagement in order to interdict them.
Equipment and personnel
The UAE Coast Guard consists of roughly 1,200 personnel. They operate various small watercraft which are used for coastal and harbor patrol. In 2012, these vessels were reported to include roughly three dozen patrol craft, two dozen harbor patrol craft, six coastal patrol craft, and numerous raiding and work boats.
In 2010, the coast guard awarded the Abu Dhabi Ship Building Co (ADSB) a contract to build 12 patrol boats called the ''Al-Saber'' class.
ADSB Wins UAE Coast Guard Patrol Boats Deal: Defense News
/ref>
References
Further reading
The Evolution of the Armed Forces of the United Arab Emirates
by Athol Yates
{{Military of the United Arab Emirates
Coast guards
Military of the United Arab Emirates