Kenneth Glad
Construction of a new northern patrol fleet has not yet begun. Meanwhile, Denmark must continue covering demanding missions with older vessels while parts of the Arctic force face crew shortages.
Denmark approved three new Arctic ships in January 2025 to replace the Thetis class. A second defence agreement in October added two vessels intended to take over duties currently performed by the Knud Rasmussen class.
The two classes form the core of Denmark’s naval presence around Greenland and the Faroe Islands, but they serve somewhat different roles. The four Thetis-class ships are larger inspection vessels built between 1989 and 1992. They can carry a helicopter and are used for year-round patrols, fisheries inspections, rescue work and support for civilian authorities. They are also strengthened for operations in ice-covered waters.
The Knud Rasmussen class consists of three smaller and considerably newer Arctic patrol vessels. They perform many of the same tasks but operate with smaller crews and do not routinely carry a helicopter, although helicopters can land on them. The class entered service from 2008, with the third vessel joining the fleet in 2016.
All five future vessels will share a common design. According to the Danish Ministry of Defence, standardization should create economies of scale, simplify maintenance and give the armed forces more flexibility in Arctic and North Atlantic operations.
The October 2025 agreement envisaged the vessels contributing to operations from 2030. A production strategy announced in February 2026 calls for work at several Danish locations before final assembly at a state-owned facility in the town of Frederikshavn.
No construction contract has yet been signed, DR reports. Final technical specifications must be settled before contract negotiations can begin, and there is currently no firm construction timetable.
Crew shortage disrupts patrol plans
The pressure on Denmark’s Arctic presence is not limited to replacing aging ships. The navy is also struggling to keep enough personnel available for current operations, creating problems well before the new fleet is ready.
According to DR, shortages in the Arctic naval unit forced two crews out of the rotation. That left Hvidbjørnen, one of Denmark’s four large Thetis-class inspection ships, at the naval base in Frederikshavn instead of deploying to Greenland as planned.
Hvidbjørnen is normally used for patrol and support missions in Arctic waters. Its absence therefore means more than one fewer military vessel at sea. Ships of its type can assist during emergencies in remote areas, where fishermen, hunters and other travellers may be far from conventional rescue services.
That role has become a concern in Greenland. Pipaluk Lynge, who chairs the foreign affairs and security committee in Greenland’s parliament, has emphasized the importance of dependable maritime assistance and has questioned why the Danish authorities have been unable to provide enough personnel to keep the crews fully staffed.
The staffing difficulty is not entirely new. DR has previously reported that incomplete crews have affected Danish naval operations in the North Atlantic, showing that the current problem extends beyond a single cancelled deployment.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has separately criticized the pace of the replacement program. He told the Danish broadcaster that once the decision had been made to replace an aging fleet, the process should move faster, while stressing that the matter should ultimately be handled with the Danish government.
Danish Defence Minister Jeppe Bruus says the future vessels remain in the design phase. He has acknowledged that Denmark needs both additional equipment and more personnel, but has declined to guarantee when the new ships will be available.
Denmark is therefore facing two connected tasks: Keeping enough crews available for today’s Arctic missions while moving the next generation of patrol ships from planning into construction.
Sources: DR, Danish Ministry of Defence
