Arctic Command was unaware of NATO drill

The Joint Arctic Command did not know about the drill operation in Faroese waters where guns were fired while ships were fishing in the area.

So says Danish defence minister, Claus Hjort Frederiksen, in his reply to an enquiry from Magni Arge, a Faroese member of the Danish Parliament.

The Faroese Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a protest to the Danish defence minister after an unannounced drill operation was conducted in Faroese waters on 30 June.

In his reply, Frederiksen explains that military activity is allowed in Faroese waters. But such operations must take fishing vessels and any special agreements between Faroese and Danish authorities into consideration.

Four long liners and a trawler, which were fishing near the Icelandic border, were disturbed by the drill. The ships were instructed to keep a distance of at least 5 miles from the navy ships during the shooting exercises.