Irish Coast Guard Director Chris Reynolds at his desk in Somalia
By Afloat
Director of the Irish Coast Guard Chris Reynolds, on assignment as Head of Mission Eucap Somalia, is not returning to the Coastguard in Ireland. In a post on social media, Reynolds says: “With a heavy heart I will not be returning, but staying on in Somalia. After a decade as Director probably enough.”
In 2019, Reynolds, who is currently on secondment to the EU, was appointed Head of the EU capacity building mission in Somalia, EUCAP Somalia.
The Irish Coast Guard is Ireland’s fourth ‘Blue Light’ service (along with An Garda Síochána, the Ambulance Service and the Fire Service). It provides a nationwide maritime emergency organisation as well as a variety of services to shipping and other government agencies.
The Irish Coast Guard has responsibility for Ireland’s system of marine communications, surveillance and emergency management in Ireland’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and certain inland waterways.
Chris Reynolds wrote a tweet on Twitter, ”And so I come to my last day of 44 years of uniformed service to my country. With a heavy heart I will not be returning to the Coast Guard but staying on in Somalia. After a decade as Director probably enough.”
Source: Afloat