Norwegian Coast Guard The Norwegian Coast Guard , or " Kystvakten " in Norwegian , is a military force and part of the Royal Norwegian Navy , but has separate vessels , many of which are purpose - built . All coast guard vessels have the prefix " KV " . Four of these vessels are capable of embarking one or more helicopters . Norway ' s exclusive economic zone , the Coast Guard ' s area of responsibility , is about 2 . 2 million square kilometers , the largest in Western Europe . The Coast Guard was formed in 1977 when Norway established a 200 nautical mile economic exclusion zone . At the same time , the former fisheries surveillance was disbanded . The Coast Guard ' s missions include enforcing Norwegian sovereignty in Norwegian waters , fisheries protection , customs enforcement , environmental protection , search and rescue , assistance at sea , and controlling foreign shipping in Norwegian waters . In 2013 , the Coast Guard had a budget of NOK 1000 million and 370 employees . The flag of the Coast Guard is the international inspection pennant as ratified by the North Sea Fisheries Convention of 1882 . History . The Fisheries Surveillance Service was established in 1907 with three primary tasks : Border control — controlling that foreign vessels respected national boundaries and rules ; auxiliary service — assisting vessels in distress or otherwise requiring assistance ; and fisheries protection — protecting fisheries . After World War II , the Fisheries Surveillance Service was assigned to the Royal Norwegian Navy , and until 1961 many of the tasks were carried out by regular naval vessels and hired fishing boats . It is from these days that the practice of hiring private coast guard vessels for government tasks originate — a practice that is now under criticism from many areas and that the Armed Forces wish to reverse In 1961 , Norway expanded the fisheries zone to 12 nautical miles and the Fisheries Surveillance Service was reorganized and separated with its own commander , personnel and vessels under the name Det sjømilitære fiskerioppsyn ( Naval Fisheries Surveillance ) . When the agreement on the regulations of fisheries in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean ( NEAFC ) became active in 1970 , six Norwegian vessels were reported as inspection vessels . At this time , the Fisheries Surveillance had at its disposal six own vessels in continuous service , three that were used for shorter periods of time , and various fishing boats that were hired in for guarding fisheries . In the 1970s , it was clear that oil and gas enterprises and increased international attention to the fisheries resources increased the demands to the Fisheries Surveillance , and in 1974 the so - called " Stoltenberg Commission " was established . The commission ' s findings led to the establishment of the Coast Guard on 1 April 1977 , at the same time that Norway ' s 200 nautical mile Economic Exclusion Zone was established . The Coast Guard was organized as a Coast Guard Inspectorate in the Navy , with a Coast Guard Inspector as its commander . The service was divided into two regional divisions . Coast Guard Squadrons South and North , with the divide being at 65 degrees north . Coast Guard Squadron South was established at Haakonsvern Naval Station , while Coast Guard Squadron North was established at Sortland after some political quarrel . As the Coast Guard was established , the materiel situation was greatly improved . The Coast Guard were assigned ten vessels , of which seven were leased and three large helicopter - carrying vessels of the Nordkapp - class were purchased . The Coast Guard was also assigned two Lockheed P - 3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft . In 1996 , the Coast Guard was given the responsibility of carrying out various inspection , control and action functions in the inner coastal waters . This led to the establishment of the " Indre Kystvakt " ( Inner Coast Guard ) , or IKV for short , where the coast was divided into seven zones , with one IKV - vessel in each zone . On 1 August 2012 , the two administrative Coast Guard Squadrons ( North and South ) were disbanded and replaced by a single unified Coast Guard , headquartered at Sortland .