Changes in and recent experiences from Norwegian Emergency Towing Service (NETS)

The Norwegian Emergency Towing Services (NETS) is managed by the Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA). In the early days of the NETS, the operational part was sheared between commercial tug companies and the Norwegian Coast Guard (NCG). A major change in the organization of the operation took place from January 1st 2020, when NCG was given the operational responsibility for NETS. This change is briefly described and the vessels in today's NETS are presented. Statistics for drifting vessels in Norwegian waters are presented before some selected recent maritime emergency incidents are highlighted. Actions by the NETS vessels and other NCG vessels will be highlighted. Handling of "FV Nortguider" after the grounding in Hinlopen (Svalbard) and the wreck removal work is one of the cases. The other two are drifting ship represented by the cruise vessel "Viking Sky" and the cargo vessel "Eemslift Hendrika". The final part of this paper discusses ways to ensure knowledge and operational experience sharing for personnel on vessels performing emergency towing tasks.