Believes the Arctic Council Will Survive Oslo (High North News): The cooperation with Russia in the Arctic Council works, reports leaders in the council's working groups. Various voices are also optimistic in regard to the council's survival. "The council’s continued existence will be in everyone’s interest", says Norwegian top diplomat Morten Høglund.
Norwegian Armed Forces and the Russian FSB Met for Border Cooperation Talks On Tuesday, the chiefs of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters and the Russian FSB’s Border Directorate for the Western Arctic Region met in Kirkenes. "This meeting activity is important as one of the very few remaining communication channels between Norway and Russia," says the NJHQ Chief.
Arctic Guardian 2025: Multilateral Exercise on Maritime Emergency Response off Northern Norway The exercise, which gathers coast guard resources from the seven Western Arctic states, is underway. "In a changing Arctic, it is crucial that we train together, build trust, and understand each other's capabilities," says the Commander of Norway's Coast Guard.
Equinor Strengthens Preparedness in the Barents Sea Equinor will establish and operate a new area-wide emergency preparedness solution for the southwestern Barents Sea. The solution will add new resources, expertise, and capabilities to strengthen safety and emergency preparedness in this ocean area.
Danish Joint Arctic Command Rescues Survivors of Plane Crash Off Coast of Greenland Greenlandic and Danish officials launched a successful joint operation to rescue two survivors of a plane crash near Qaqortoq, Greenland.
From Sea King to SAR Queen: It Will Mean A Lot for Us in the North After nearly fifty years of service along the mountains and coast of Nordland, Northern Norway, the rescue helicopter Sea King will now be replaced by the SAR Queen. In terms of preparedness, the change is a milestone for the people in Nordland, says Captain Remi Olsen at the 330 Squadron in Bodø.
Innovative Catastrophe Exercise to Be Held on Svalbard An expedition ship is on fire outside of Svalbard and tens of people need to be evacuated. This is the scenario for a catastrophe live exercise led by the innovation network ARCSAR, which starts at the end of August. New technology for search and rescue will also be tested.
"The Backbone of Norwegian Rescue Preparedness Celebrates 50 Years" "The Joint Rescue Coordination Centres in Norway are currently celebrating their 50th anniversary. Few people are aware of the role the two main rescue centres in Bodø and Stavanger play in saving lives and health over a very large area of responsibility", says Odd Jarl Borch and Rune Elvegaard.
Arctic Cargo Ship Violates Safety Rules Prompting Month-Long Rescue Operation An Arctic cargo ship,Sparta III, violated safety rules and sailed into unsafe ice conditions. It took nearly four weeks, several icebreakers and rescue ships to escort it to safety.
The Viking Sky incident: A warning about what to expect in the Arctic The EPPR working group has investigated what became the largest public-private helicopter rescue in Norwegian history: The Viking Sky drama.
French Cruise Ship Set to Travel to North Pole in 2021 The Le Commandant Charcot, the world’s first icebreaking cruise ship, is scheduled to travel to the North Pole in 2021. While the vessel uses cleaner natural gas and is built to a Polar Class 2 standard, questions surrounding passenger safety and environmental impact remain.
Norwegian Arctic Coastal Waters Among Most Dangerous Shipping safety experts have identified the waters of Arctic coastal Northern Norway and Svalbard as some of the region’s most dangerous environments for maritime activity. As shipping traffic across the polar north continues to increase so does the likelihood for accidents and emergencies.
Dozens of Vessels Violate Safety Rules on Northern Sea Route During the first ten months of 2017, the Russian Northern Sea Route Administration recorded 88 violations of its Rules of Navigation committed by 84 vessels. This represents approximately 15-20 % of all ships traveling the route this summer.
