Arctic Command opens Danish and Canadian ships to Nuuk residents

Arctic Command invited residents of Nuuk aboard Danish and Canadian naval vessels on Tuesday, DR reports, giving locals a chance to see what the ships and their crews do in Greenlandic waters.

The event was held aboard the Danish Defence inspection ship Thetis, while two Canadian ships also opened their gangways to visitors at the harbour in Nuuk.

The Thetis crew has spent the past two weeks taking part in Nanook Tuugaalik, the Canadian defence’s largest annual maritime exercise in the Arctic. The ship and its crew have now returned to Greenlandic waters.

“It is important for us that local people get an idea of what we actually do up here,” said Nicolai Svane, the Thetis’s deputy commander.

The inspection ships are used not only to patrol Greenlandic waters, but also to monitor fishing and take part in rescue missions. Svane said the event was intended to involve local residents and make the presence of military ships, helicopters and soldiers in the town feel less dramatic.

“We want to defuse the situation. We are here to support the local community where there is a need,” he said.

Arctic Command has held similar events before. This one took place shortly before Arctic Shield, a large international military exercise due to begin on September 7 and involve around 400 soldiers from approximately 10 NATO countries across large parts of Greenland.