Arctic Coast Guard Forum (ACGF) arranged the Arctic Guardian 2025 exercise near Tromsø, Norway.

ACGF is a cooperation forum founded in 2015 with the aim to further cooperation between the arctic states’ coast guard authorities, as well as safe and responsible seafaring in the area. 

Rovaniemi AB412 helicopter and its crew participated from Finland, in addition to representatives of the Finnish Border Guard Headquarters and the West Finland Coast Guard District, who took part in the planning of the exercise and were present onboard the vessels and in the exercise centre. In addition to Norway and Finland, vessels from Iceland, Denmark and Sweden participated in the exercise. Chief of the Finnish Border Guard, together with representatives of the Finnish Border Guard Headquarters, were also present. 

"As the activity increases in the arctic sea area, and since the area is so vast and challenging to reach, it is important that the countries and their authorities cooperate in order to guarantee safety also in the arctic area, states the Head of the International Affairs Unit at the Finnish Border Guard Headquarters", Commander Jani Järäinen, who is present in the exercise in Tromsø.

Focus on maritime search and rescue and maritime pollution response in arctic waters

The Arctic Coast Guard Forum arranges an exercise in maritime search and rescue and maritime pollution response every other year. Likewise, the members arrange a map exercise every other year. Training together in arctic waters prepares us for accidents and maritime pollution response.

The exercise scenario was a collision of two vessels, a tanker and a cruise ship, to be more precise. During the three-day-exercise, the focus was both on maritime search and rescue and maritime pollution response. The exercise also included scenarios with vessels with radioactive cargo or nuclear reactor as power source.

In Tromsø, Finland accepted the chairmanship of the forum’s Combined Operations Working Group (COWG).  Deputy Head of the Border and Coast Guard Division, Captain Matti Lallukka, acts as chairman. 

The COWG will plan the exercises for the next two years.  

"As leader of the COWG, Finland is in charge of the following exercises: the map exercise in the Faroe Islands in 2026 and the main exercise in Greenland in 2027. Denmark acts as chairman of the entire ACGF for the next two years, which means that we will be in close cooperation with them", Captain Lallukka reports.

A meeting between the command of the member states’ coast guard authorities was arranged in connection with the exercise. The meeting included discussions of timely topics concerning maritime safety and possibilities to develop cooperation. Furthermore, Finland furthered the development of its bilateral coast guard cooperation with the United States and Norway.

Arctic Coast Guard Forum consists of eight countries, seven of which participated in the exercise in Tromsø: Canada, the United States, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland.