embassy events 2009

United States Coast Guard Visits Poland

9 September 2009

Ambassador Ashe with Lieutenant Commander James Suffern

U.S Coast Guard (USCG) Lieutenant Commander James Suffern visited Poland September 7-9, 2009 for a tour of port facilities serving passenger ferries and cargo vessels at Poland’s Baltic port of Świnoujście.  The visit, part of ongoing maritime security cooperation between the United States and Poland, was the Coast Guard’s second annual inspection of Polish port facilities for compliance with applicable U.S. port security standards.  Such compliance facilitates the entry of Polish commercial ships into U.S. ports, reducing costs and transit times accordingly.  Lt. Comm. Suffern is the International Port Security Liaison at the USCG Activities Europe office in the Netherlands, which covers maritime facilities in nine European countries.  His visit to Poland also included meetings in Warsaw at the Polish Ministry of Interior and Administration (MSWiA).