Customs diving team
The Customs Administration of the Netherlands has the important duty of checking the goods going across the border into the European Union. However, the goods do not only come by land, by sea and water into our country. At times, criminals hide them underwater attached to a vessel. For this reason Customs set up a diving team.
The diving team combats smuggling underwater
The reason for setting up the diving team was the increase of underwater smuggling. Criminals keep thinking of new ways of transporting illegal items. In addition to the diving team, Customs also uses detection dogs, drones and artificial intelligence to trace ‘smart’ smuggling.
Tasks and roles
The diving team is always ready, 365 days a year. The team consists of:
- captains;
- divers;
- diving team leaders;
- line holders.
Everyone has their own tasks. The captain sails a Customs vessel with the team to the vessel which is going to be checked. The diving team leader gets aboard the vessel to inform the captain of the inspection. He is in charge during the diving. Via the cable, the line holder keeps in touch with the diver. An extra diver is ready to go into the water should his colleague get into problems.
The diving team works in the ports of the Netherlands
The base of the diving team is Rotterdam. However, the team works anywhere, where there is water and where vessels are sailing. The diving team also works in the ports of Amsterdam, Terneuzen, Vlissingen, Delfzijl and even in Belgium. But the team does more, such as searching for evidence for the police in the water, like weapons, but also bodies.
Working method
Diving under vessels is dangerous, which is why every inspection starts with a specific briefing to the complete diving team. The briefing covers items such as the diving time, emergency signals and duties in the event of an accident. A diver knows in such event what route to take as not to get trapped. Before a diver goes into the water, all the systems of the vessel subject to the inspection must be shut down. As a result, a diver will not be affected by scuppers and propellers during the inspection.
As soon as all the obligatory steps have been taken, the diving can start. In the port a diving flag is raised which means that vessels see that there is a diver in the water. The size of a vessel determines how long a diver is engaged. At times, the diving area may be the size of almost four football fields. If the team finds drugs or other contraband, a different Customs team destroys it.
