PHOTO RELEASE: U.S. COAST GUARD CUTTER RETURNS FROM INNOVATIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT MISSION, MARCH 10, 2009

HONOLULU -- In this photo, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Rush is pictured astern of the Japanese-flagged fishing vessel Koei Maru No. 10 during a boarding. The crew of the 378-foot high endurance cutter home ported in Honolulu, returned home last week after a ground-breaking six-week law enforcement patrol through the South Pacific.

The Rush's crew conducted joint law enforcement operations with three embarked Kiribati law enforcement officials under a new diplomatic ship rider agreement between the U.S. and Kiribati governments.

The bilateral agreement has drawn attention at the highest level of the Department of Homeland Security for its success and was mentioned by the Coast Guard Commandant in a recent "State of the Coast Guard" address. 

In this instance depicted, Rush crew members and the Kiribati officers boarded the Japanese-flagged Koei Maru No. 10, whose crew had been suspected of violating the terms of a license to fish in Kiribati waters high-seas drift net fishing. As a result of the boarding, the Kiribati government arrested the master, and seized the vessel and its catch of more than 22,000 pounds of fish and assessed fines and penalties exceeding $700,000 US.

U.S. COAST GUARD PHOTO