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Discussions are currently underway between the Icelandic Coastguard and its Norwegian counterpart over whether Iceland’s newest patrol ship will be hired out to Norway.
“Research has been carried out into the feasibility of a temporary loan of our ship in relation to our co-operation agreement with the Norwegians,” Georg Larusson, head of the Coastguard told mbl.is. He said it is not yet clear how the agreement will be worked, but it could centre on how duties in the area jointly patrolled by the two countries are divided. It is also possible that a Norwegian ship will then be rented to Iceland in exchange.
If the Icelandic Coastguard has to reduce its helicopter crew, there will be a serious negative effect on the Coastguard’s ability to secure safety at sea and rescue those in danger. Larusson said this in response to a Morgunbladid article on Saturday which reported that the helicopters’ maximum range would be reduced if the size of their crews is also reduced: “that’s pretty obvious,” Larusson said.
He said he cannot yet say what will happen regarding likely changes to the boat fleet; but keeping down costs in order to support essential helicopter operations is the current top priority.
