Coast Guard helicopters handle four callouts and prioritise sick fisherman

Mbl.is reported that Iceland’s Coast Guard helicopters TF-GRO and TF-GNÁ handled four callouts on Saturday, including medical emergencies at sea, in Flatey and at Patreksfjörður. Crews had to prioritise a sick fisherman over a request from a cruise ship north of the country.

According to Ásgeir Erlendsson, the Coast Guard’s information officer, the first callout was to Flatey. Shortly afterwards, a cruise ship north of Iceland requested assistance.

While the helicopter was travelling to the cruise ship, another request came in concerning illness aboard a fishing vessel in the same region. The Coast Guard decided to assist the fishing vessel first, and the patient was taken to Akureyri.

TF-GRO landed at Akureyri Airport with the sick fisherman before immediately departing again to assist an individual aboard the cruise ship.

TF-GNÁ was sent to Patreksfjörður on a medical flight, where another sick person was collected.

Heavy workload

Ásgeir said it was unusual for the Coast Guard’s helicopters to handle four callouts in one day. The workload has been particularly heavy this summer.

There have been about 10 per cent more callouts so far this year than during the same period last year. Summer callouts have increased by 35 per cent compared with the same period in 2025, placing heavy demands on crews, the operations centre and others involved in the missions.