Icelandic Coast Guard installs four new maritime radars
Friday 6th November 2026 on 17:45 in
Iceland
Iceland’s Coast Guard is installing four radars to strengthen surveillance of waters near the coast and improve maritime safety, mbl.is reports.
The radars will support border surveillance, monitoring of telecommunications cables and general law enforcement at sea, the Coast Guard said. They are being installed at Sauðanes in the Westfjords, Stórhöfði in Vestmannaeyjar, Gunnólfsvíkurfjall near Langanes and Borgarhafnarfjall near Hornafjörður.
Information from the radars is sent to the Coast Guard’s control centre in Skógarhlíð, giving staff a better overview of ship traffic. The radars have a range of about 40 to 60 nautical miles, or 74 to 111 kilometres, and can also be used to assess sea conditions. Each station is equipped with cameras and AIS receivers.
The European Union’s border fund is helping finance the purchases. The Coast Guard said installation has been a substantial project.
Recently, the Coast Guard vessel Freyja transported one radar from Hafnarfjörður to Vestmannaeyjar. It was then taken by road to Stórhöfði and mounted on its supports under the supervision of watch officer Jón Gunnar Ingibergsson. The radar is now connected and transmitting information to the control centre.
Work is under way this week to connect the radar at Gunnólfsvíkurfjall. Installation at Sauðanes and Borgarhafnarfjall is due to begin in the coming days.
The radars are made by Furuno. Timezero software will control them and display information at the Coast Guard’s control centre. JEES arkitektar designed the radar buildings.