Venezuela deploys naval base 70 km from Guyana

11 December, 2023 Iranian Peykaap III boats in Venezuela. Photo from open sources The Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela is establishing a new naval base near the annexed Essequibo region controlled by Guyana.

Admiral Neil Villamizar Sanchez, Chief Commander of the Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela announced this. According to Neil Sanchez, the new naval base is part of a broader strategy. It will strengthen maritime logistics, especially in the Orinoco Delta.

The new military facility will be deployed on the basis of the Coast Guard unit in Punta Barima. This will increase the coverage of the Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela along the Atlantic coast.

The site of a new base for the Venezuelan Navy. Photo credits: Google

It is worth noting that the deployment of naval forces is taking place only 70 kilometers off the coast of Essequibo, a region that was recently de-jure annexed by the Venezuelan government but is under the control of Guyana.

Such a move could be part of the preparations of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela to invade Guyana and occupy its territories. According to local media, the border near the location of the future base is largely uninhabited. The base itself will be one of the closest to the border.

Presumably, the Command of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela assigns a significant part of its tasks to the maritime component due to the impossibility of conducting large-scale operations in inaccessible border areas, most of which are represented by impenetrable tropical forests. According to the published footage, the new base will be able to accommodate combat boats. In addition, it is equipped with helipads.

Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela

The Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela has an outdated but large fleet of warships and amphibious assault ships.

In particular, the Navy has a diesel-electric submarine, one squadron of corvettes consisting of eight Avante 1500 and Avante 2200 ships, and a squadron of Capana class large amphibious assault ships.

In addition, the Navy has Constitucion class patrol vessels armed with 37mm automatic guns.

T-63 Goajira Capana-class amphibious assault ship of the Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela, July 2012

Recently, the Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela received Iranian Peykaap III-class missile boats armed with Kowsar and Nasr anti-ship missiles from Iran.