UMM QASR, Iraq (March 10, 2004)-Members of the newly formed Iraqi Riverine Patrol Service (IRPS) and Machinery Technician 3nd Class Matt Liptak, 28, from Riverside, Conn., (l) of U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment 203 discuss security positions while conducting a dockside inspection of a 250-foot container ship suspected of oil smuggling with conflicting claims of registry. This was the first combined operation in the Iraqi Port of Umm Qasr involving the U.S. Coast Guard, Iraqi Riverine PatrolService, Royal Marines and Royal Navy. Members of LEDET 203 searched the vessel while the British trained IRPS, Royal Marines and Royal Navy provided security. Coast Guard LEDETs frequently deploy aboard U.S. Navy ships, and they are considered specialists in vessel boardings and shipboard investigations. The Chesapeake, Va., based LEDET 203 is deployed to the North Arabian Gulf to assist coalition forces as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. USCG photo by PA1 Matthew Belson
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