KRALENDIJK - To mark the opening of the Galileo satellite station, the conference ‘EU Satellite Systems in the Greater Caribbean: Navigating the Future’ took place on Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 April. Part of the conference focused on how satellite systems can assist islands such as Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. To highlight the importance of these satellite systems, the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard conducted a live demonstration of a search and rescue operation in the port of Bonaire.
Conference
The conference brought together a diverse group of policymakers, entrepreneurs and researchers from the Caribbean and European Netherlands, as well as representatives of the European Union and its space agencies. The aim of the event was to translate knowledge of satellite systems into directly applicable solutions and new partnerships.
The audience was welcomed by, amongst others, the State Secretary for Kingdom Relations and Effective Government, Eric van der Burg, and the EU Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius. In addition, André Kuipers gave an inspiring talk about his work as an astronaut and emphasised how important space is for our lives on Earth.
Various plenary and breakout sessions addressed themes such as disaster management, tourism innovation and monitoring to protect ecosystems and nature. There was broad recognition that concrete solutions must be sought for challenges specific to the Caribbean islands.
The Special Envoy for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, Edison Rijna, emphasised the importance of the conference for the entire region: “So that the next generation in the Caribbean is not merely a spectator of the future, but actively helps to shape it.”
Search and rescue operation by the Coast Guard
To illustrate the value of satellite communications for islands such as Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, the Coast Guard organised a live demonstration of a search and rescue operation on Wednesday 22 April. The demonstration showed how satellite signals help to accurately locate distress signals on the open sea.
At the north pier in Kralendijk, the Coast Guard demonstrated how they respond to such an emergency signal. During this spectacular demonstration, a person in distress was rescued from the water with the aid of a helicopter and a ship.