KNM Harstad is a purpose-built
offshore patrol vessel for the Norwegian Coast Guard. She is named after the
city Harstad in Northern Norway. KNM
is short for Kongelig Norske Marine (Royal Norwegian Navy).
Harstad was built as a
multipurpose vessel, but optimised for emergency towing of large oil tankers
(up to 200,000 metric tons deadweight (DWT)), oil spill clean-up and fire
fighting. The most common duty will be fishery inspection and search and rescue
in Norway's
large exclusive economic zone. The steadily increasing traffic of large oil
tankers along the Norwegian coast explains the need for this type of vessel.
She visited Leith
twice in February, the first time was to pick up the NATO-Submarine-Rescue-System-Submarine. And she returned a fortnight later on the 16th
February to unload the vessel. To which you can see here.
