“SOS” in the Barents Sea

“From the Russian side, the forces and means of the Murmansk branches of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center” Administration of the Western Arctic Seaports “,” Maritime Rescue Service Rosmorrechflot “,” State Corporation for Air Traffic Management in the Russian Federation “,” Northern Expeditionary Squad of Rescue Operations “and the Border Directorate of the FSB of Russia for the Western Arctic Region,” the press service of the Northern Fleet reported.

Our training partners, the Norwegians, look no less representative. In Barents 2021 they will use their ships, vessels and aircraft from the Joint Rescue Coordination Center of Northern Norway, the Coastal Administration, the Naval Coast Guard, Air Force base patrol aircraft, as well as the forces and assets of the AVINOR airspace control centers and services.

I must say that “Barents” is the only exercise of search and rescue support forces, which Russia and Norway annually conduct in the Arctic region on one of the sections of the sea border.

Although representatives of the Navy and the Navy participate in them, it is difficult to call these maneuvers military. They do not shoot, missiles and torpedoes are not allowed there. But experts from the two countries are practicing joint actions in the search and rescue of people in distress. And they also learn to prevent and eliminate pollution of the sea with oil products. This, unfortunately, happens in conditions of intensive development of the Arctic.

In a joint rescue exercise, each side operates in its own national waters. This year, the Barents exercise will unfold in the Varangerfjord area. And the main leadership of the training operation will fall on the representatives of Norway.