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Finnish patrol vessel Merikarhu, the first ship taking part in a Frontex operation with a multinational crew, has embarked on its maiden operational mission off the Greek coast. The introduction of a vessel with crew members from various EU member states is a crucial part of Frontex’s strategy to increase the agency’s role in implementing European coast guard functions.

The 31-member crew of Merikarhu includes officers provided by border and coast guard authorities of seven EU member states: Germany, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania and Greece. The multinational crew with expertise in various coast guard functions to the core crew of the vessel provided by Finland to ensure the full navigational and technical functioning of the vessel.

“With the introduction of a multinational crew in our sea operations, Frontex is moving towards fulfilling its new mandate as the European Border and Coast Guard Agency. In the spirit of European solidarity, crews from various European nations will work under the Frontex banner to provide assistance to member states at their external borders,” said Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri.

The presence of a multinational crew aboard some vessels taking part in Frontex sea operations will allow member states to contribute vessels with a core crew for a longer period of time without the need to commit a large number of officers. Until now, all ships taking part in Frontex’s maritime joint operations were provided by individual member states along with a full crew.

During its first mission, Merikarhu will observe, detect and monitor the ship traffic in order to prevent smuggling activities in the Ionian Sea and the Sea of Crete. The ship will patrol at the Greek external maritime borders to contribute to border control activities and increase search and rescue capacity in the area. It will also be available to contribute to various coast guard functions, such as illegal fishery surveillance, pollution control and combatting cross-border crime.