About The Icelandic Coast Guard

The Icelandic Coast Guard was officially established July 1st, 1926 when The Icelandic State bought the coast guard vessel Thor.

The Icelandic Coast Guard is a diverse organisation which serves the Icelandic nation in various ways.

The Icelandic Coast Guard has four main divisions, operations division, hydrographic division, legal division and financial division.

The minister of Justice undertakes superior administration of the entire activities of the Coast Guard and will issue necessary Reglulations or instructions relating to the general administration of its various sectors.

The main tasks of the Coast Guard are based on the need for a general policing of the ocean

The missions are listed in Article 1. of the Act N° 52 of 2006, respecting the Icelandic Coast Guard.

News

October 28th, 2009

US Coast Guard Cutter Alexander Hamilton found by Icelandic Coast Guard with the aid of a Gavia Autonomous Underwater Vehicle. Press release.

March 20th, 2009

Visit of the Danish Minister for Defence to the Icelandic Coast Guard

Sören Gade, Danish Minister for Defence, had a meeting this morning with Georg Larusson, the Director General of the Icelandic Coast Guard in the Coast Guards headquarters in Reykjavik. On the agenda was the co-operation between the Icelandic Coast Guard and Danish military authorities in accordance with the MOU between the Ministry of Justice in Iceland and the Ministry of Defence of Denmark signed on 11th January 2007.

Their discussion involved maritime security in the North Atlantic Ocean, joint exercises, EOD, Icelandic Coast Guard´s air divisions alert in connection with the Denmarks Air Policing program in Iceland, also future developments in the co operation. Both parties agreed on the importance of the co-operation, important changes are under way in the High North. The region´s energy resources are getting more accessible and at the same time new trans-arctic shipping routes are opening.

New opportunities and challenges require close cooperation in the area. The Defence Minister mentioned the possibility to involve the Icelandic Coast Guard in the marittime surveillance around Greenland and Faroe Islands after delivery of the new Dash – 8 aircraft this year. By the new aircraft the Coast Guard is much better equipped for Maritime Surveillance and Pollution Detection than before. The aircraft is of the same type as now being used by the Swedish Coast Guard and with the same equipment package. This new aircraft can be used for Maritime Surveillance and exchange of surveillance data in adjacent areas in addition to the existing surveillance data exchange.

Iceland and Denmark have for the last two years worked inside the North Atlantic Coast Guard Forum. Denmark took the Chairmanship of the NACGF after the formal establishment in Sweden in October 2007. Iceland took over the chairmanship in September 2008 and has to large extent continued the standards set by Denmark.

 

Always Prepared

Recently the Icelandic Coast Guard (ICG) undergone considerable changes and renewals. As a result of extensive strategic work, the ICG developed both a new organisational structure and a new governing law. Other changes include new headquarters, which are now located in a newly expanded building within the National Rescue Centre at Skógarhlíð. New aircraft  TF-SIF arrived in July 2009 and a new ship is also on the horizon. The number of personnel employed by the ICG has increased because additional rescue assets are no longer present due to the fact that the US Iceland Defence Force has departed, as a result of which the ICG’s helicopter assets will also increase accordingly.

It has been a great pleasure to have the opportunity of leading the organisation through these changes, which all took place during the tenure of Björn Bjarnason, Minister of Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs. The ICG is an established organisation whose primary responsibilities are more or less the same today as they were in the beginning, although the number of tasks has increased considerably.

The ICG’s technical assets are considerably more efficient and diverse than when the ICG started out. The main changes involve participation in multinational co-operation efforts regarding the monitoring of fisheries in the ocean, defence against international terrorism, as well as applying a great deal more emphasis on pollution control at sea.

The new motto of the ICG, “Always Prepared”, broadly points to the activities of the Icelandic Coast Guard, both for the present and in the future. The slogan applies to all the ICG’s duties, whether it be search and rescue at sea or on land, law enforcement, hydrographic survey, or other tasks with which the personnel of the ICG are entrusted. The core meaning behind this motto is to be prepared for everything at all times.

Georg Kr. Lárusson Director

More about ICG can be found here Always Prepared