US navy vessel USS Hershel «Woody» Williams visits Seychelles
American navy vessel, USS Hershel «Woody» Williams, currently in Seychelles' Port Victoria as part of a routine port visit for the ship to conduct logistical and personnel support operations, opened its doors to defence personnel and local media on Tuesday.
This is the ship's first visit to Seychelles since July 2022 and Commander Michael Concannon explained that this forms part of efforts «to make people better understand their capabilities and look for ways to enhance our cooperative efforts in Seychelles to increase peace, stability and freedom of shipping and commerce in the region.»
Also touring the vessel was the American ambassador to Seychelles and Mauritius, Henry Jardine, who said, «We had a very good very informative briefing on this vessel and what it can do, and it's a wonderful platform for that maritime domain awareness.»
USS Hershel «Woody» Williams is the first navy ship assigned to the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) area of operations to conduct missions in the Mediterranean and the waters around East, South, and West Africa including the Gulf of Guinea.
The vessel opened its doors to defence personnel and local media on Tuesday. (Seychelles Nation) Photo License: CC-BY
The vessel's visit to port Victoria comes a little after a year that the U.S. re-opened its embassy in the archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.
«It is a wonderful opportunity to highlight how the United States is very much committed to supporting Seychelles in the work it does here in support of maritime domain awareness,» said Jardine.
In March, the Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF) and the U.S. Coast Guard completed a second bilateral operation within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Seychelles under an agreement signed between the two countries in July 2021.
The bilateral agreement between the two countries came about after both saw the need to promote greater cooperation in dealing with illicit transnational maritime activities. It was the first of its kind between the two countries and the first one between the U.S. and an eastern African country.
Jardine also expressed his satisfaction that Seychelles is part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a U.S.-led military operation by a multinational coalition formed in December 2023 to respond to Houthi-led attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
He said this shows that Seychelles is «recognising the impacts these have on shipping and is much affected by intra-dictions and threats in the Red Sea because it impacts on shipping which then has a higher cost on goods and commodities for the average Seychellois.»
Seychelles has a vast Exclusive Economic Zone of 1.4 million square metres and Jardine said, «It is important for it to work with many partners - and does work very effectively with many partners and we feel very privileged that we have a chance to work with Seychelles.»
Brigadier Michael Rosette, Seychelles' Chief of Defence Forces, said, «Seychelles is a great partner with the U.S. in the fight against any illicit activities in the Indian Ocean and of course, any of these activities have an effect or an indirect effect on Seychelles.»
Rosette added that the best way to go forward to ensure commerce and trade continues in the Indian Ocean is to «have to work with our friendly partners in the Indian Ocean and we will continue to share intel and other activities that are ongoing with the U.S. so that we ensure that this area remains safe for us to continue.»
The USS Hershel «Woody» Williams' namesake was born in 1923 in Quiet Dell, West Virginia, and is the sole surviving Marine from World War II to wear the Medal of Honour.
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