The Royal Danish Navy and Icelandic Coast Guard conducted joint exercises in Iceland as part of efforts to demonstrate a strong Arctic presence, reported Fort Lauderdale's Maritime Executive.

The training was a prelude to a larger NATO exercise in Greenland. Denmark and Iceland stressed their long-standing cooperation, with Danish patrol vessels regularly operating in Icelandic waters to support safety in the Arctic.

Iceland deployed the ICGV Freyja, a 4,500 GT offshore vessel acquired in 2021 to bolster patrol capacity amid rising cargo, tanker and cruise traffic. The Danish patrol ship Thetis, which has participated in NATO's Arctic Light exercise, joined the drills.

Scenarios staged on January 10-11 included Freyja issuing a simulated distress call over a hull leak, with Danish crews responding in small boats. A Danish medical team also assisted in a mock accident, testing emergency coordination.

Following the exercise, Danish naval vessels patrolled Greenland's coast "looking for foreign vessels," responding to Donald Trump's claims of Russian and Chinese activity in the area. NATO simultaneously launched a limited deployment to Greenland, with forces from France, Norway, Great Britain and Sweden joining Arctic Command in Nuuk.

NATO units will guard installations, support local authorities, conduct police activities and deploy fighter aircraft and patrol vessels. Denmark said it will invest more than US$13.7 billion to strengthen Arctic and North Atlantic defence, with periodic exercises planned across the region.