Norway gets new Arctic spy ship

Norway on Sunday took delivery of a new intelligence collection ship which it has commissioned to help it track developments in the Barents Sea and Arctic Ocean as it is opened up to international competition by the melting ice cap.

Published: 18 March 2014 00:07 CET

The hull of the new Marjata vessel being towed through the Bosphorus in Istanbul. Photo: DEFENCE / NTB Scanpix

The ship replaces F/S Marjata, which has been in active service since 1995, and will be fitted out at the Vard Langsten shipyard in Tomrefjord,

The hull has been built at a shipyard in Romania.

"It is gratifying that the hull is finally here," said Lt. Gen. Kjell Grandhagen, head of Norway's intelligence service.

"The vessel will be an important step in furthering the missions of the intelligence service in the far north, and constitutes a modern capacity to help ensure the service's information needs for the next 30 years."

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