The Gulf of Finland Coast Guard District’s area of responsibility extends from Hanko to the eastern Gulf of Finland and the maritime border between Finland and Russia.
The Gulf of Finland Coast Guard District is responsible for carrying out the duties stipulated for the Finnish Border Guard in its operating area. Border and maritime safety tasks are the core duties of the Coast Guard District. Border control includes border checks carried out at border crossing points and border surveillance in the area between border crossing points. In terms of maritime safety, the key tasks are maritime search and rescue and prevention of environmental damage.
The Headquarters of the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard is located in the Rajatalo building in Helsinki. The headquarters also includes the Coast Guard District’s Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre (MRSC Helsinki).
The Gulf of Finland Coast Guard District has a network of eight coast guard stations that implement maritime tasks and complement technical radar and camera surveillance with border surveillance patrols. The Coast Guard District’s patrol vessel Turva carries out a wide range of border and maritime search and rescue tasks.
The Gulf of Finland Coast Guard District also includes the Helsinki Border Control Department, the Port Border Inspection Unit and the Crime Prevention Unit. The Helsinki Border Control Department is responsible for border security duties at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. The Port Border Inspection Unit, on the other hand, handles border security tasks involving passenger traffic at the Port of Helsinki. The activities of the Crime Prevention Unit focus on combating organised illegal immigration at the external borders.
The Gulf of Finland Coast Guard District’s versatile fleet of vessels enables 24/7 operations all year round. The Gulf of Finland Coast Guard District also utilises coast guard dogs that are specialised in searching for persons and documents.
The Gulf of Finland Coast Guard District employs more than 600 people.
