Royal Navy turns to Canadian Coast Guard for Arctic training and expertise

The UK’s Royal Navy learns the cold facts of Arctic operations from fellow Canadian Coast Guard, who have a lot of cold weather experience.

British sailors train with Canadians to learn to navigate icy waters and break ice as needed, while Canadian Coast Guard personnel will have operational training opportunities and gain experience with free technology. crew with the Royal Navy, according to a press release from the Royal Navy.

An agreement to formalize the agreement was signed between the two NATO countries at the headquarters of the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) in Ottawa by its commissioner, Mario Pelletier, and Vice-Admiral Nick Hine of Second Sea Lord, the October 8.

“I am delighted to sign this agreement which will see the Royal Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard working even more closely in the Arctic, sharing and expanding our ice experience, as we strive to become increasingly interoperable and interchangeable, ”Hine said.

“The Canadian Coast Guard welcomes the opportunity to build on the close existing relationship between Canada and the United Kingdom. Through this MOU, we will benefit from the operational experience and expertise of the Royal Navy, and we look forward to sharing our skills and knowledge of the Arctic, ”said Pelletier.

The two services have already worked together. In 2020, several Royal Navy watch officers from HMS Protector, the UK’s only ice patrol vessel, sailed with a CCG vessel to gain experience in ice operations.

“Sharing the vast experience and expertise of the Canadian Coast Guard will mean that British sailors will be better equipped when they sail to the frozen region,” the Royal Navy statement said.

Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers, from hovercraft to heavy and light icebreakers and long-lived vessels, keep Canadian ports open year-round, freeing ice-stranded ships, escorting ships through ice-covered waters and maintaining a constant presence in the Far North during the navigable season.

The Royal Navy has shown a renewed interest in the Arctic region in recent years due to its key strategic importance to the security of the UK.

“Warships are a regular presence in the region, while the Royal Marines train annually in Norway as British Cold Weather Warfare Specialists,” the Royal Navy statement read. “HMS Lancaster recently returned from a 3,000 mile round trip across the Norwegian Sea and into the Arctic Circle – the last Royal Navy ship to sail to the High North in recent years. “