CANADIAN COAST GUARD TO TRAIN ROYAL NAVY IN ARCTIC

The Canadian Coast Guard signed an agreement Friday with Britain’s Royal Navy to train its sailors on Arctic icebreakers in Canada’s Far North. The memorandum of understanding follows a 2020 agreement between the two NATO countries that saw officers from Britain’s HMS Protector train aboard a coast guard vessel. The Canadians will work with British sailors in icy northern waters to break up ice sheets and exchange information. The British High Commission in Ottawa announced the new agreement on behalf of the Royal Navy and the Coast Guard. The statement noted that Canada operates a fleet of about 20 icebreaking vessels that helps smash ice, keep frozen sea lanes open and assist other ships through unfavourable waters.