Joint Norwegian-Russian emergency drills
Norwegian and Russian emergency services are planning joint drills on oil spill cleanup and search and rescue in the northern border areas.
The Exercise Barents 2010 will take place in the outer parts of the Varanger Fjord on the border between Norway and Russia on June 9, news paper Finnmarken reports. Such joint drills are conducted annually and the two countries change on responsibility for the planning.
The rescue coordination center (RCC) in Bodø has planned this year’s exercises together with the Norwegian Coastal Administration. The scenario for this year’s exercise is that the Varanger Fjord is hit by an acute case of pollution. When the emergency services are engaged in the cleanup work, efforts have to be put into search and rescue operations, Head of Rescue operations at Bodø RCC Frode Iversen told Finnmarken.
Norway and Russia also cooperate in Russia’s largest international rescue exercise Barents Rescue, where also Finland and Sweden participate.
