Norway Abandons Arctic Navy Base, Russia Comes in
Russia is using a former top secret NATO base situated in the heart of the Arctic Circle, reports AFP. The Norwegian authorities are gravely upset over a secret naval base they sold two years ago: what makes them panic over the facility they just recently deemed unnecessary is that it is rented by a fleet of Russian research vessels, which, experts believe is “no joking matter”. The Olavsvern Naval Base is hidden in a mountain near the Norwegian town of Tromso. The base was sold in 2013 by Norway's then president Jens Stoltenberg - now the NATO Secretary General - to a Norwegian businessperson for just 5 million USD. The base was acquired by businessman Gunnar Wilhelmsen.
NATO Submarine Base to Become Rig Haven
Norwegian Ministry of Defense approves sale of Olavsvern naval base outside Tromsø. The sale is to the investor group Triko AS which includes Odfjell Drilling, PSW Rig Service and in cooperation with Petro Support Group will create a service center for the offshore petroleum industry. reports the Barents Observer. Olavsvern was built during the Cold War with NATO-funding and holds tunnels into the mountain where Norwegian and allied submarines could hide or get supplies while on patrol in Arctic waters. Both American and British nuclear powered submarines used to make port calls to the base that is located some 20 kilometers outside Tromsø. The base was officially written-off by NATO in April last year, following the restructuring of the Norwegian navy.
