In one of the stranger maritime stories of late, the Ecuadorian Navy announced that last week, their sail training ship, the three-masted barque Guayas stopped and captured a drug-laden high-speed craft; a low profile vessel (LPV) powered by three outboard motors. While not submersible, the craft is colloquially referred to as a “narco-sub.” Four crew aboard the LPV – three Ecuadorians and a Colombian – were arrested. The cargo, likely cocaine of between 1.5 and 6 tons based on the imagery released, is carried in the forward hull, surrounded by fuel tanks.
The incident took place in international waters between the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Colombia and Ecuador’s Insular Exclusive Economic Zone (IEEZ), which surrounds the Galapagos islands, on Oct. 22.
As reported by Maritime Executive, the Guayas sailed from Guayaquil on September 10th, on a 70-day voyage to Peru, Panama, and El Salvador with 147 crew members on board, including a contingent of fourth-year midshipmen. It is Guayas‘ first voyage since the COVID-19 outbreak began early last year: all 2020 training cruises were suspended due to the pandemic.
The Guayas is a 1976-built training ship homeported in Guayaquil. She is a three-masted barque with a capacity of up to 120 crew, 80 cadets, and 35 officers, and she has a single 700-horsepower diesel engine for maneuvering.
The circumstances of the capture remain unclear. The Drive comments that it’s not clear if the LPV had been tracked long before its capture or if it was just a lucky find for the Guayas. According to the Ecuadorian Navy, other undisclosed units from the service took part in the action, which was coordinated with the Ecuadorian National Police and its department specializing in combatting organized crime, the ULCO, but no further details were provided.
It’s also possible that agencies from outside Ecuador may have been involved in the mission, too. The Ecuadorian Navy also regularly works with U.S. Southern Command on counter-narcotics missions in Latin America.
Whatever the case, the fact that a sailing vessel succeeded in capturing the high-speed LPV is impressive in itself.
Video commentary from narco-sub expert H.I. Sutton:
Guayas… same name as the river where the other sail training ship allided with the bridge.