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Faroese coast guard

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Faroese Fisheries Inspection Service
Vørn
Logo
Logo
Faroese maritime ensign
Faroese maritime ensign
Agency overview
Formed1978; 48 years ago (1978) (as the Faroese Coastguard Service)
2012; 14 years ago (2012) (as the Faroese Fisheries, Surveillance and Salvage Agency or Faroese Fisheries Inspection)
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionFaroe Islands
Legal jurisdictionFaroe Islands exclusive economic zone (EEZ)
Governing bodyMinistry of Fisheries
Operational structure
HeadquartersTórshavn
Agency executive
  • Jóhan Simonsen, Department director
Facilities
Vessels7 patrol and rescue boats
Rotary wings2 helicopters (on charter)
Website
Official website (in Faroese)

The Faroese coast guard[1][2][3][4] (Faroese: Vørn; lit. 'Defense'), alternatively known as the Faroese Fisheries Inspection and Rescue Service, is the combined coast guard and fishery enforcement agency of the Faroe Islands.[5][6] The organization has also been translated as the Faroese Fisheries, Surveillance and Salvage Agency.[7] Being an autonomous territory, militarized defense of the Faroes is the responsibility of the Danish Realm. As such, the Faroese coast guard is not a military force, but rather a civilian organization.[8]

Headquartered in Tórshavn[9] and under the Ministry of Fisheries, the organization is (alternatively) sometimes shortened to simply the Faroese Fisheries Inspection, with slight variations in grammar and phrasing.[10][11][12]

Primary missions besides the aforementioned include maritime surveillance[5] and search and rescue, which the agency executes with a fleet of patrol boats, RHIBs, and 2 helicopters, as of 2026.[6] The two helicopters, both AW139s, are chartered from Atlantic Airways, the flag carrier of the Faroe Islands.[13]

According to Statistics Faroe Islands, the coast guard performed 164 rescue operations at sea in 2024.[14]

History

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The Home Rule Act of 1948 authorized the Faroese government to establish their own local government organizations, and in 1978 the first “Faroese Coastguard Service” was created, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Fisheries. In 2002, the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Tórshavn was founded, and in 2012 it merged with the Fisheries Inspection Service to form Vørn, the modern Faroese coast guard. Both agencies would still carry out essentially the same functions as before, but with a joint government command, rather than being separate entities.[7]

The Tjalrið was the first of the coast guard ships, launched in 1976. Due to the demilitarization policy (as outlined in the Home Rule Act), it was unarmed.[15] As of 2024, the Tjalrið was still in active service; the fleet's second largest ship, behind the Brimil.[7]

In 1979, the ship M/V Tórsvík, a 39 meter (127 foot) patrol boat, was built in Denmark. It served in the fleet of the Faroese Coastguard Service before eventually being decommissioned and privately sold on September 15, 2021.[16]

M/V Tórsvík, built 1979, formerly of the Faroese coast guard

Structure

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The Vørn organization consists of three branches: The Fisheries Inspection, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), and the Meteorological Office.[17]

Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre

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All search and rescue (SAR) in the Faroe Islands is coordinated through the Maritime (or Marine) Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Tórshavn, which acts as a joint command and control center, and is active 24/7.[18] The MRCC has been a branch of the Vørn since 2012.[7]

Organizational chart

Operations

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Operations of the flagship Brimil

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In 2022, the Faroese coast guard hosted the Icelandic Coast Guard and Danish Navy for a training exercise.[19] During the exercise, sailors performed a smoke drill (simulating a distress beacon), and subsequent tow training. The Faroese flagship Brimil was present, alongside the Icelandic ship ICGV Þór and Danish ship HDMS Vædderen.[20]

On February 6, 2024, the Brimil performed a sea rescue. In the early morning, a 46-meter (150 foot) longliner, the Kambur, hit high seas and sent out a distress call; the Brimil and a helicopter were scrambled to assist. Thirteen people were rescued from the ship, which sank 90 minutes thereafter.[21] Two fishermen remained missing, yet after four days of searching, authorities from the MRCC concluded them to be deceased, and called off the searching vessels.[22]

In May 2024, the coast guard participated in NATO training exercise "Dynamic Mongoose '24", in Reykjavík, Iceland. The Brimil engaged in shallow-water maneuver drills off the Faroese coast alongside vessels from Canada, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, United States, Spain, and the Netherlands.[23]

In October 2024, the crew of the Brimil performed scuba training with their onboard facilities and suits.[24]

Other operations

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In 2024, the American submarine USS Albany visited the Faroe Islands and met with representatives of the coast guard.[1][25]

In September 2025, representatives from the Icelandic Directorate of Fisheries travelled to the Faroes to coordinate with their counterparts in the Vørn, and meetings were held with regards to strengthening relations.[26]

In January 2026, the coast guard was responsible for monitoring Russian commercial excursions into Faroese waters, specifically against the government blacklisted companies Norebo and Murman Seafood. Under department director Jóhan Simonsen, the vessels of the coast guard were authorized to conduct sovereignty patrols (and enforce international maritime law) against illegal Russian fishing vessels. The two countries had a bilateral agreement, yet these protective measures existed to enforce overfishing limits.[27] The two companies specifically were barred from entry to Faroese ports effective January 1st, 2026.[28]

Vehicles

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Vessels

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As of January 2024, the Faroese coastal patrol fleet consisted of the following vessels:[7]

Vessel Type Length Maximum speed Crew Capacity Notes
Brimil Patrol vessel ~63m (206 ft.) 17 knots (19.5 mph) 12 persons 30 persons Flagship of the Faroese fleet
Tjalrið Patrol vessel ~44m (144 ft.) 15 knots (17 mph) 11 15 Second medium-sized patrol vessel
Liv Patrol vessel ~14m (45 ft.) 22 knots (25 mph) 4 4 Rescue boat
Ziska Patrol vessel ~19m (62 ft.) 25 knots (28 mph) Rescue boat
Sverri Patrol vessel ~14m (45 ft.) 31 knots (35 mph) 4 4 Rescue boat
Vón Patrol vessel ~15m (49 ft.) 30 knots (34 mph) 2-5 4-5 (main cabin), 10 (forward cabin) Rescue boat
East Patrol vessel Rescue boat[29]

Aircraft

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The primary air assets of the coast guard are two Leonardo AW139s, which are chartered from Atlantic Airways. The AW139s replaced two aging Bell 412s in 2015 and 2016, which had previously been in service with the organization.[13] Atlantic Airways provides trained pilots, and maintains a designated SAR Team within their Helicopter Division, to access remote islands and perform rescues in challenging weather environments.[30] The crews train weekly for both land and sea operations.[31] As of 2026, the two helicopters were named Sámal and Ruth.[29]

Ranks

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Shoulder epaulet of a Faroese maritime officer[32]

Maritime ranks

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All civilian crews registered in the Faroe Islands, (including those of the Faroese coast guard, a civilian organization), are to have the following licensed seafaring positions onboard:[33]

Aviation ranks

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When tasked with search and rescue missions, commercial pilots and crew (on the imbedded SAR Team) have the following duty positions:[34]

The rank insignia for flight crew resembles the standard maritime equivalents; it consists of horizontal gold stripes on a navy blue fabric epaulette.[34]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 "US Submarine Visit in the Faroe Islands". www.government.fo. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  2. ↑ Dahlberg, Rasmus (April 2022). Societal Security in the Kingdom of Denmark. Copenhagen, Denmark: Center for Arctic Security Studies, Royal Danish Defence College.https://www.fak.dk/globalassets/fak/dokumenter/2022/-societal-security-in-the-kingdom-of-denmark-.pdf
  3. ↑ Government of the Faroe Islands (May 2024). National Security Policy. Tórshavn, Faroe Islands: Government of the Faroe Islands. https://landsstyri.cdn.fo/savn/12hk3tih/national-security-policy_en.pdf?s=xmiobGbWTt-J3NRVzGyCOnlQF8s
  4. ↑ Government of the Faroe Islands (May 2024). Arctic Policy of the Faroe Islands 2024. Tórshavn, Faroe Islands: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. https://landsstyri.cdn.fo/savn/rqspqfmm/arctic-policy-of-the-faroe-islands-2024.pdf?s=QLOcrrCYmLEDuXePLfm16NTWxSA
  5. 1 2 "Key Authority Links – Faroe Islands". tvk.fo. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  6. 1 2 "Health and Safety at Sea - Faroe Islands Seafood". Faroese Seafood. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 MRCC Tórshavn (January 2024). SAR – Føroyar. Tórshavn, Faroe Islands: MRCC Tórshavn. https://vorn.cdn.fo/savn/uaqmpkst/sarbook2024.pdf?t=100&s=rmhRzUxcorDr1A2ABBFvkQTwnZQ
  8. ↑ "CIA World Factbook Archive". worldfactbookarchive.org. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  9. ↑ "Contacts". Vørn (in Faroese). Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  10. ↑ "Monitoring, Control and Enforcement - Faroe Islands Seafood". Faroese Seafood. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  11. ↑ "Faroe Islands » SPRFMO". www.sprfmo.int. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  12. ↑ "Faroes mackerel quota 'used up' despite sanction threat". BBC News. 2011-10-03. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  13. 1 2 "AW1271 Atlantic Airways". www.leonardo.com. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  14. ↑ "Inspection and resque | Statistics Faroe Islands". hagstova.fo. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  15. ↑ Jákupsstovu, Beinta í, and Regin Berg (2012). The Faroe Islands' Security Policy in a Process of Devolution. Reykjavík, Iceland: Stjórnmál og Stjórnsýsla (Icelandic Review of Politics & Administration), Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 413–430. https://scispace.com/pdf/the-faroe-islands-security-policy-in-a-process-of-devolution-1ri0l7r8ko.pdf
  16. ↑ atlantic (2021-09-16). "M/V Tórsvík sold and delivered". Atlantic Shipping. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  17. ↑ "SAR Manual". Vørn (in Faroese). Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  18. ↑ "Marine Rescue and Coordination Center Torshavn". ARCSAR. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  19. ↑ "Patrol ships conduct drill outside Tórshavn". Kringvarp Føroya (in Faroese). Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  20. ↑ "Successful training session with the Danes and the Faroese". Iceland Monitor. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  21. ↑ Nordic, ATN All Things (2024-02-10). "Faroe Islands: Coast Guard vessel rescues Faroese longliner crew". All Things Nordic. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  22. ↑ Tyril, Bui (2024-02-11). "Tragedy confirmed as efforts to find missing fishermen end". Local.fo. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  23. ↑ "Dynamic Mongoose 24 strengthens NATO's anti-submarine warfare capability, including new ally Sweden". mc.nato.int. Archived from the original on 2026-01-16. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  24. ↑ Geil, Ólavur Í (2024-10-23). "BFI | ENGLISH FAROE DIVE | VIDEO - Regular training dives". BLUE FAROE ISLANDS. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  25. ↑ "Allied lawmakers explore NATO's strategic imperatives in North Atlantic during Nordic visit | NATO PA". Allied lawmakers explore NATO's strategic imperatives in North Atlantic during Nordic visit | NATO PA. 2026-06-19. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  26. ↑ "Work trip to the Faroe Islands and cooperation with Vørn | Ísland.is". island.is. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  27. ↑ "Vørn Monitoring Blacklisted Russian Vessels In Faroese Waters - Faroe Islands Daily". 2026-01-24. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
  28. ↑ "Faroe Islands shut out Russian fishing firms". Ukrainska Pravda. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
  29. 1 2 "Eindirnar". Vørn (in Faroese). Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  30. ↑ "Client Profile: Faroe Islands Search and Rescue". AUK Protection. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  31. ↑ "Search & Rescue - Atlantic Airways". www.atlanticairways.com. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  32. ↑ "Home". FMA. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  33. ↑ "Kunngerð nr. 105 frá 5. august 2015 um sjóvinnubrøv og førleikakrøv til manning við skipum, sum broytt við kunngerð nr. 133 frá 21. september 2017". www.logir.fo. Archived from the original on 2022-11-26. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  34. 1 2 "Helicopter Fleet - Atlantic Airways". www.atlanticairways.com. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
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