Estonia, Finland, Russia to conduct joint sea rescue training
Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) flagship EML Kindral Kurvits (PVL-101) and a PPA helicopter will on Tuesday will join the border guards of Finland and the Russian Federation in a traditional joint sea rescue training exercise on the Gulf of Finland.
"The Gulf of Finland sees very heavy ship traffic and it is crucial that we are prepared to promptly and professionally respond in case of an accident at sea," said Col. Aimar Köss, chief border guard officer of the PPA's Integrated Border Management Department. "This requires the ability to cooperate with the border guards of neighboring countries in order to ensure the best possible application of all available resources for rescuing people."
According to Köss, the topic of this year's exercise is the sea rescue of people following a helicopter accident and the localization of sea pollution.
The annual exercise is organized on a rotating basis; this year's exercise, which will take place in Russian territorial waters northeast of Seskar Island, is being organized by the Russian Federation. Last year's exercise was organized by the Finnish Border Guard; Estonia most recently organized the event in 2012.
Editor: Aili Vahtla