Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and the Honorable Vic Toews, Canadian Minister of Public Safety, announced a new Shiprider pilot project designed to bolster cross-border security operations in the waters of Puget Sound and off the Pacific Coast before and during the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. The project enables the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the U.S. Coast Guard to cross-train, share resources and personnel and utilize each others’ vessels in the waters of both countries.
The pilot will be consistent with the Framework Agreement governing Shiprider operations in shared waterways signed by Secretary Napolitano and former Public Safety Minister, the Honorable Peter Van Loan, in May 2009. Both countries remain committed to fully implementing this agreement and jointly protecting against shared threats.