Caption:
The Otra crew were nice and friendly despite being fully armed
- Tíðindi, mentan og ítróttur
Photos: NATO warships docking in Tórshavn
Photos: NATO warships docking in Tórshavn
Six vessels from NATO’s minesweeping unit are on a visit in the Faroes
Five NATO minehunters and a frigate docking in Tórshavn. Photos: Bjarni Árting Rubeksen
23.03.2023 - 08:04
"It’s a great honour to visit your islands. Many of us have never been here before, so this is an exciting visit for us.”
These are the words of 42-year-old Ole Torstein Sjo, the commander of NATO’s standing mine countermeasures group 1, which is currently visiting the Faroes.
Yesterday, he invited the media on board Norwegian minehunter HNoMS Otra, which is one of the six NATO vessels docking in Tórshavn.
The other five vessels are Norwegian frigate HNoMS Nordkapp, which is the flagship, and four minehunters: ENS Sakala from Estonia, FGS Rottweil from Germany, HNLMS Schiedam from the Netherlands and BNS Bellis from Belgium.
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Otra has a crew of about 40, including seven women. Norway is the only European country with an active practice of gender-neutral conscription
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The six NATO vessels have a total crew count of about 200
The desire to visit foreign countries is one of the main reasons why young people join the navy, said captain Kåre Schiøtz (pictured right).
”I come from Hammerfest in northern Norway, which has a strangely similar landscape and architecture to what I’m seeing here in the Faroe Islands,” he said.
Commander Ole Torstein Sjo said that Russia’s war on Ukraine is a direct reason for the visit to the Faroes.
"Our task is to be present and to reassure people in NATO areas of operation that they can feel safe. But we are also here to ensure that potential enemies stay away from this area.”
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The Norwegian Royal family is keeping a watchful eye over the Norwegian crew
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The navy is in high demand among young Norwegians
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With a crew size of about 40, Otra can get a bit crowded at times. Lieutenant Hans Petter Leines is happy that he only needs to share a cabin with one fellow officer
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Junior crew members share cabins with five others
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The Otra crew includes seven women
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The ‘Mia’ underwater drone is used for locating and exploding mines
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Senior officers leave the ship to visit the Prime Minister
Read the Faroese version of this article here.
More Faroese News in English.
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