NATO sends more ships to High North “amid increasing operational demands”
The Alliance’s Standing Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) has launched its second deployment in Norwegian arctic waters this year.
“The High North is a very important area of interest for the Alliance,” said Royal Netherlands Navy Commodore Arjen Warnaar as several NATO ships started drills in the Norwegian Sea.
It is this year’s second arctic deployment of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1.
“Our second deployment here this year demonstrates NATO’s commitment to readiness, cohesion and stability,” Warnaar emphasised.
The SNMG1 is one of four standing NATO maritime groups providing continuous maritime presence and readiness.
At the head of the naval deployment is the Dutch flagship HNLMS Van Amstel. It operates alongside Canada’s HMCS St. John’s, Germany’s FGS Hamburg, as well as Norwegian ships.
The three frigates set out from Andøya on December 2.
There are several Russian ships in the area. The trawler Karelia slowed down its speed as it passed the naval ships. Nearby is also Russian ‘shadow tanker’ Viktor Bakaev, as well as several more sanctioned carriers serving Russian interests. Approaching the three frigates is the Russian research ship Akademik Ioffe. The latter is owned by the P.P.Shirshov Institute of Oceanology in Kaliningrad.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Finland sharpens Arctic stance as security pressures rise; Canada among key allies, CBC News
Denmark: Denmark, Greenland agree to build naval wharf in Nuuk amid growing Arctic focus, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: Finland’s border fence almost ready in Lapland, Yle News
Iceland: NATO chief to Arctic Allies: “We’re all frontline states now,” as Iceland’s role grows, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: Suspected illegal Arctic border crossing from Russia to Norway, person detained, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Russia withdraws from Euro-Arctic rescue cooperation, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Sweden looking for Canadian partnership to ramp up fighter, surveillance plane production, CBC News
United States: Russian warplanes detected flying near Alaska for ninth time this year, US military says, Eye on the Arctic
