Swedish and Finnish navies command each others' ships during maritime awareness exercise

The Swedish and Finnish navies conducted a joint maritime situational awareness exercise on 2-8 March, taking command of each others' ships in the process.

The Swedish and Finnish navies commanded each others' ships during a joint maritime situational awareness exercise in the Baltic Sea on 2-8 March (photo of Sweden’s HMS Helsingborg seen from Finland’s FNS Uusimaa ). (Finnish Navy)

The Finnish Navy said on its website on 28 February before the exercise began that it involved training in maritime surveillance, identification missions, and conducting communications checks in the northern Baltic Sea between Finland and Sweden. The exercise command echelons practised commanding and using each others' maritime surveillance units to standardise the maritime picture and test command methods, the Finnish Navy added.

The Försvarsmakten, the Swedish Armed Forces, said on its website on 9 March that the exercise involved the joint development of methods for using resources as efficiently as possible for command and maritime surveillance. Sweden’s Visby-class corvette HMS Helsingborg was placed under Finnish command and Finland’s minelayer FNS Uusimaa under Swedish command to practise and evaluate each others' command and communications so they can develop working practices.

The Finnish Navy said on its website on 6 March that it was common for it to train with its Swedish counterpart and that the two countries exchange maritime information on a daily basis.

Close maritime surveillance co-operation and its development through common resources will improve both countries' situational preparedness and responsiveness to different situations, said Finnish Navy Commander Misa Kangaste.