NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasure Group 1 is set to make a port call in Finland after concluding participation in the Latvian-hosted mine clearance and ordnance disposal drill Open Spirit.
The international drill is taking place between August 18 and 31. SNMCMG1 ships are set to arrive in Turku, Finland, on September 1.
The group will be hosted by the Finnish 4th Mine Countermeasures Squadron, Coastal Fleet.
During the port visit, the SNMCMG1 command team will meet with local civilian and military leadership in Turku and sailors from the group will have an opportunity to work with their Finnish counterparts to exchange information and enhance interoperability.
SNMCMG1 is currently composed of the NATO group flagship, Latvian coastal minelayer and command ship LVNS Virsaitis, Estonian minehunter ENS Sakala, German minehunter FGS Sulzbach-Rosenberg and Norwegian minesweeper HNoMS Rauma.
Some of the ships will be open and welcome visitors aboard September 2 and September 3. The ships will be at Turku Passenger Harbour.
Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) is one of four standing NATO maritime groups. The groups are a multinational, integrated maritime force made up of vessels from various allied countries.