The United States Consul General has added his support for a US Coast Guard facility on the Island.

Gregory Slayton said a seaborne partnership between the two countries would help to deter drug smuggling and terrorist activity, as well as saving lives in the Atlantic.

At present the US Coast Guard assists Bermuda Maritime Operations out of the East Coast, and must fly hundreds of miles to assist vessels in trouble.

Former Premier Alex Scott first outlined the idea of a permanent Coast Guard base on a visit to Washington DC in May 2006. Premier Dr. Ewart Brown is now pursuing the concept and met with Congressmen Bennie Thompson and GK Butterfield to discuss it at the weekend.

Mr. Thompson is Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, which oversees the Coast Guard, and Mr. Butterfield represents North Carolina, the state with the closest Coast Guard station to Bermuda. Talks are set to resume later this month at the Congressional Black Caucus.

Yesterday, US Consul General Mr. Slayton said: "I personally think it's an excellent idea."

Asked about the practicality of a US Coast Guard station on the Island, he said: "Why not? The US military used to have large stations here, so a small Coast Guard station would seem to make a lot of sense.

"Out there in the vast wilderness of the Atlantic Ocean, the US Coast Guard frequently comes here to refuel and do search and rescue out of Bermuda.

"It seems a small and permanent base would be very useful, particularly to the US in terms of drug smuggling and terrorism, but also for Bermuda because of vessels in trouble. Having a base here will make some of those rescues less risky."

Mr. Slayton said it was too early to say how the base would be funded, but added: "These things are making progress and the Premier is doing exactly what he needs to do to push things forward."