Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 to exercise with Coastal Fleet after visiting Helsinki

Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) is to visit Helsinki 4 – 7 November 2022. Upon leaving from Helsinki SNMG1 is to participate in a joint exercise organized by the Finnish Coastal Fleet.

Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 arrives in Helsinki on Friday and stays over the weekend in the Hernesaari harbor. The visiting ships are the flagship, frigate HNLMS Tromp, frigate HDMS Esbern Snare and supply ship HNOMS Maud. The ships will not be open to public during their stay. 

The visit is hosted by the Commander of Coastal Fleet, Captain (Navy) Patrik Lillqvist.

After the port visit, 7 – 8 November, Coastal Fleet will organize a Passing Exercise (PASSEX), a joint naval exercise, which aims at developing interoperability between the NATO-force and Finnish Navy vessels in the vicinity of seashore.

For the exercise the NATO-force will be joined by FNS Tornio. The exercise will take place in the Gulf of Finland and in the Northern Baltic Sea.

-    Coastal Fleet and SNMG1 have been training together after similar visits for many years, but this is the first time we train together since Finland became an official invitee of the Alliance. We have developed our interoperability to a large extent, says Commander of the Coastal Fleet, Captain (Navy) Patrik Lillqvist.

-    Finland has been a longstanding NATO partner. Cooperation and integration with Finland is a force multiplier in an area of strategic importance. The visit of our NATO Task Group to Helsinki and our training with the Finnish armed forces will add to this process, says Commander of the SNMG1, Commodore Jeanette Morang.