None of the Danish military’s four large Thetis-class inspection ships have been present in Greenland for almost three weeks, according to position data obtained by DR.
DR reports that three of the vessels are moored at the naval base in Frederikshavn in northern Jutland. The fourth, Thetis, set course for exercises in Canada on August 7 and is now heading back toward Greenlandic waters.
The four ships are tasked with monitoring Russian and Chinese vessels, enforcing the Kingdom’s sovereignty and rescuing people in distress. Per DR, the Redningsrådet under the Ministry of Defence requires that at least one Thetis-class ship be available in Greenland 365 days a year.
Greenland’s local rescue setup consists of one Air Greenland helicopter on 24-hour standby and one smaller helicopter available in daytime. Both fly from land and have limited range. The inspection ships can carry a helicopter and therefore act as rescue platforms far from the coast.
Emergency preparedness consultant Patrick Abrahamsen, who has worked on Greenlandic rescue missions, told DR that the helicopter is essential given the distances involved. He said the absence of an inspection ship becomes a problem for the Greenlandic population, and noted that this is peak season for hunting and tourism.
Naaja Nathanielsen, a member of the Folketing for Inuit Ataqatigiit, said the situation concerns safety, human lives and Greenlanders’ everyday sense of security at sea. As reported by DR, she considers any deviation from the set standard a deterioration.
Requirement missed in earlier years
According to the Redningsrådet’s annual accounts of the rescue service in Greenland, Defence did not meet the minimum requirement in 2022, 2023 or 2024, the most recent report. Defence has pointed to age-related equipment problems as the overwhelming reason, DR writes.
DR reported on August 22 that Hvidbjørnen’s planned two-month patrol to Greenland from mid-July was cancelled because of personnel shortages in the Navy. Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus said Defence had assured him that Arctic readiness was not weakened, and that Denmark is more present in Greenland and the Arctic.
The head of Arctic Command in Nuuk, Major General Søren Andersen, said there was no risk in sending Thetis on exercise in Canada. He noted that the ship was at most 56 hours from Greenland, and that he would not have deployed it had he assessed a risk. He also said Defence has never been as heavily present in the Arctic and North Atlantic as in 2026.
Swedish outlet Aftonbladet, citing DR, reported the same three-week absence and the position data behind it. Dagens.com added that crew shortages in the Arctic naval unit have taken two crews out of rotation.
