Norway deploys fast patrol boats to fight drug smuggling

Norway’s customs agency is deploying four high-speed patrol boats to strengthen the fight against drug smuggling along the country’s coastline, NRK reports. The first boat will begin operating in the Oslofjord by the end of the week.

The Norwegian Customs Administration has warned that Norway could become a transit country for drug trafficking because of its long coastline and more than 600 ports receiving international traffic.

Customs officers seized more than 70 million user doses of cocaine between 2023 and 2025. Much of the cocaine arrived by sea, either hidden in containers or through other smuggling methods.

“Seventy per cent of our seizures are made in ports, and a large share of the cocaine comes from South America,” Customs Director Benedicte Bjørnland said. “That is why it is important for the Norwegian Customs Administration to be present along the coast.”

The new boats are designed for extreme speed and have a top speed of between 60 and 80 knots. The larger vessels have up to 1,500 horsepower, giving customs officers greater range and allowing them to respond more quickly at sea.

“This is a tool we have been waiting a long time for, and it gives us a completely different operational capability,” said Tim Gurrik of the customs agency’s border division. “There is more power, more speed and more control.”

“The boats give us better and more frequent controls at sea. There is no point trying to escape when we pursue you,” he added.

The customs agency says criminal networks are changing their methods as major European ports increase their controls. Smugglers are instead turning to smaller ports with weaker security.

According to a recent report from the agency, ships sometimes dump GPS-marked packages of drugs into the sea. Smaller boats then collect the packages.

“We see a risk that Norway’s long coastline could become a hole in the fence into Europe for criminal smuggling networks,” intelligence chief Erik Spradbrow has previously said.

The four patrol vessels are being supplied by Viking Norsafe at Tromøy in Arendal. The contract is worth a total of 43 million kroner, according to Agderposten.

The delivery consists of one smaller boat with 700 horsepower and three larger patrol boats equipped with engines providing up to 1,500 horsepower. The vessels are built for year-round operations.

Bjørnland said the investment is intended not only to intercept smugglers at sea but also to deter them from trying.

“I hope it will have both a deterrent and a detection effect,” she said. “Those who intend to smuggle illegal goods should think twice, and there should be a perceived and real risk of being detected. That is the purpose of this.”