Amid tensions between Guyana and Venezuela over the disputed Essequibo region, the navies of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands conducted joint exercises in the Caribbean Sea. These maneuvers included the deployment of guided-missile cruisers and destroyers, offshore patrol vessels, and embarked aircraft from the previously mentioned forces.
Days ago, as reported by Escenario Mundial, and coinciding with preparations for the launch of the ESA’s Ariane 6 rocket, the Guyanese government denounced that a Venezuelan Navy offshore patrol vessel had entered its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), dangerously approaching an ExxonMobil Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit.
According to information gathered from open-source intelligence (OSINT), the Venezuelan vessel that operated within Guyana’s EEZ was a Guaiquerí-class offshore patrol vessel, specifically the OPV Yekuana (PO-13).
In addition to the strong reaction from the Guyanese government regarding this new incident, the U.S. government, through the Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, declared that the threats posed by Venezuelan ships “… are unacceptable and constitute a clear violation of Guyana’s internationally recognized maritime territory. Further provocation will result in consequences for the Maduro regime. The United States reaffirms its support for Guyana’s territorial integrity and the 1899 arbitral award.”
However, the United States’ rhetoric against the Venezuelan government was not limited to an official statement. Recently, the U.S. Navy, alongside the Royal Navy and the Royal Netherlands Navy, conducted a series of surface-unit exercises in the Caribbean Sea.
Venezuelan naval vessels threatening ExxonMobil’s floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit is unacceptable and a clear violation of Guyana’s internationally-recognized maritime territory. Further provocation will result in consequences for the Maduro regime.
— Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (@WHAAsstSecty) March 1, 2025
According to official reports, the activities carried out by the three naval forces in the region were part of PASSEX exercises, which took place on March 3 and involved surface assets and embarked aircraft.
The U.S. Navy participated with the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG-60) and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), which performed navigation and cross-deck maneuvers with the Royal Navy’s River-class patrol vessel HMS Medway (P223) and an NH-90 Neptune helicopter from the Royal Netherlands Navy, which was embarked on the patrol vessel HNLMS Groningen (P843).
“The trilateral PASSEX maritime exercise is part of the collaboration between the United States and its allies in the Western Hemisphere. Adopted in 2023, allies and partners from the United Kingdom, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and the United States committed to sharing information more frequently and working more closely on common strategic interests, specifically within the U.S. Southern Command’s Area of Responsibility (AOR),” stated the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command.
They further added: “The collaboration includes maritime operations and exercises at sea, as well as port visits within the framework of Theater Security Cooperation (TSC), designed to fulfill this commitment.”
You may also like: After violating Venezuelan airspace, a hostile aircraft was intercepted by F-16 Fighting Falcon jets of the Bolivarian Military Aviation