JRCC Iceland- Rescue Centre for mariners and aircrafts

The heart of our operations

The Icelandic Coast Guard (ICG) operations centre plays an extensive part in the co-ordination and organisation of search and rescue services, as JRCC within Iceland’s Search and Rescue Region (SRR) for maritime and aeronautical incidents. The special position of the operations centre is not least the fact that it is responsible for co-ordinating the actions of the ICG. Thus, the operations centre is responsible for responding to all emergency calls and requests for assistance. In addition, the centre is responsible for monitoring radio frequencies for the ICG and activates patrols and response units, co-ordinates their tasks and handles communications. Three to four controllers are simultaneously on watch 24 hours a day, throughout the year.

The tasks of the ICG operations centre are diverse: It is a communications centre for the Coast Guard.

patrol vessels and aircrafts, a rescue centre, and a link in the Icelandic Civil Protection system, is a monitoring, control and surveillance centre for fishing activities, border control centre, receiving station for notifications from foreign vessels regarding their passage through Icelandic waters, their arrival in port in Iceland as regards the Schengen Agreement and maritime security. In addition, the Icelandic Vessel Traffic Service is operated within the operations centre. The centre, moreover, plays an important part in general law enforcement and surveillance at sea.