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Norway patrolling the Gibraltar Strait
As of the 20th of April the Norwegian Navy has had two Missile Torpedo Boats (MTBs) patrolling off the coast of Spain. Their mission is to escort shipping from the NATO-countries through the Gibraltar Strait.
By Kjetil Eide, FMS
Active for NATO: Four Norwegian Missile Torpedo Boats are part of the NATO-operation Active Endeavorin the Gibraltar Strait. Archive Photo: Royal Norwegian Navy.
- Thus far the missions are going well. The task is monotonous, but it is still a great challenge. Every day hundreds of vessels pass through the area we patrol, said Squadron Commander Geir Finseth.
Thursday the 17th Finseth arrived in Cadiz in Southern Spain, along with the 100 crew and support personnel designated to run the MTBs in the waters surrounding Gibraltar for six months. They are Norway's contribution to the NATO-operation Active Endeavor, which has been running since October 2001. Active Endeavor is part of the international war on terrorism.
Multinational co-operation
The four Norwegian vessels of the 21st MTB-squadron co-operate with two Danish MTBs, a frigate, an Orion aircraft and helicopters from Spain and Italy. The Norwegian squadron has been divided into two divisions of two vessels each. Every day two Norwegian and one Danish MTB sail out of port in Cadiz, while the crews on the remaining vessels have the chance to perform maintenance and repairs. Each division sails two days in a row before rotating with the other division.
- We protect shipping from possible terrorist acts. We receive communication from NATO with requests for escorts for vessels from NATO member countries. In this way we know whom to escort a week in advance, said Squadron Commander Geir Finseth.
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