Greenland’s preparedness capacities, gaps and need for cooperation

The report elaborates on the available physical and personnel capacities in the four countries, including stationary facilities, specialized personnel, vessel capacities, airborne capacities, and management coordination capacity. It builds upon the three earlier reports from the MARPART project emphasizing maritime activity and risk aspects in the four countries, as well as the institutional framework and agreements both nationally and internationally between those countries. This chapter covers Greenland's maritime preparedness capacities, capacity gaps and potential benefits of cross-border cooperation with neighbouring states and Arctic, regional institutions to enhance maritime safety and security. It analyses and assesses Greenland's preparedness and response capacities in relation to Search and Rescue (SAR), Oil Spill Response (OSR) and Violent Action Response. In Greenland, the main challenge is the vast area of responsibility, lack of infrastructure in the small communities and the distance to mainland resources in Denmark. The responsibility for SAR and oil spill is shared between the Police, the Joint Arctic Command of the Danish Navy and the Greenlandic self-government. The Joint Arctic Command provides an overall picture of the maritime situation in Greenland waters by utilising satellite surveillance of maritime activity and environmental pollution. This endeavour is partly based on cooperation and information sharing between Canada, Norway, Iceland, the USA and Denmark. A limited number of navy vessels and helicopters are available in Greenlandic waters. Greenland is therefore heavily dependent on mobilization of civilian helicopters. A limited amount of Oil Spill Response equipment is available in Nuuk and in Aasiaat. More equipment dedicated for Greenland is located at depots in Denmark. Violent Action Response is the responsibility of the Danish police. Special police units for anti-terror are located in Denmark. In total, Greenland has very limited preparedness resources in every area of response. It is heavily dependent on transport of resources from Denmark and neighboring countries. With an increased tourist activity, including a significant number of cruise ships, the challenges may increase over the next years.