Greenland’s government leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, has criticized Denmark for still not signing a contract for new Arctic inspection ships, 573 days after the plan was presented. He called the delay unsatisfactory.
DR reported on Sunday that no supplier contract has been signed and that construction of the vessels has not begun. Nielsen said the pace is not satisfactory, and that he will raise the matter directly with the Danish government rather than through the press.
The ships are meant to replace the current, worn-out inspection vessels that patrol around Greenland. Pipaluk Lynge, chair of the Foreign and Security Committee in Inatsisartut, Greenland’s parliament, called the situation serious. As reported by DR, she urged the Danish Ministry of Defense to speed up the shipbuilding and said it should be a top priority.
The criticism comes as patrol capacity has been reduced. According to DR, an acute shortage of personnel in the Navy’s Arctic unit has forced two crews off the duty roster, and one mission near Greenland was canceled. The inspection ship Hvidbjørnen is docked at Frederikshavn naval station instead of patrolling.
Lynge noted that the absence is not only a defense question, but also a matter of safety for fishermen, hunters and others who travel in nature, since the ships serve as a floating rescue platform.
Agreements already in place
A political model had been settled months before DR’s report. The Ministry of Defense stated on February 2, 2026, that the parties behind the defense agreement had reached consensus on a construction strategy for five new Arctic ships. The ministry’s Arctic page states that Subagreement 2 on the Arctic and North Atlantic was concluded in October 2025 and includes investments of 27.4 billion kroner.
The October 2025 agreement text published by Naalakkersuisut says two additional Arctic ships were to be acquired, bringing the total to five vessels with icebreaking capability. Per the text, they are to take over tasks currently performed by the existing Knud Rasmussen-class ships.
Reuters coverage republished by Arctic Today in January 2026 reported that Denmark expected to finalize the model for the new ships within days. The vessels were described as part of a wider response to Arctic security concerns.
DR also spoke with Jon Rahbek-Clemmensen, associate professor at the Royal Danish Defence College. He pointed to 2021, when then Defense Minister Trine Bramsen presented plans to buy advanced Arctic surveillance drones. By late 2024, when the crisis over Greenland intensified, no drones had been selected and no contract signed.
Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus declined DR’s request for an interview.
