Photos: 75-meter-high iceberg towers over Coast Guard crew

A towering iceberg, measuring up to 75 meters high, came into view for the crew of TF-EIR, the Icelandic Coast Guard helicopter, yesterday. For comparison, Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykjavík stands 74.5 meters tall.

In recent weeks, the Coast Guard operations center has received numerous reports of icebergs on fishing grounds and shipping routes around the country.

According to a Coast Guard statement, navigation warnings are issued whenever such reports are received, informing mariners of the location of the ice.

Due to the number of sightings, the TF-EIR crew was dispatched on an ice reconnaissance flight along shipping lanes off Northwest Iceland, from Sauðanes to Hornbjarg and the fishing grounds north of Strandir.

Rescue specialist lowered onto the ice

Weather conditions were favorable for the flight, and shortly west of Skagatá the crew spotted their first iceberg. The Coast Guard operations center was notified, and a navigation warning was issued, as the iceberg was located directly on a shipping route.

The flight continued, and north of Hornbjarg the crew’s radar picked up a massive iceberg far offshore. When the helicopter reached the location, about 42 nautical miles north of the cliff, a colossal iceberg measuring roughly 300 meters long, 300 meters wide, and up to 75 meters high loomed before them.

Given the iceberg’s size and the depth in the area, it was considered highly likely to be grounded. The crew took the opportunity to conduct a short exercise, during which a rescue specialist was lowered onto the ice and hoisted back up shortly thereafter.

The Coast Guard urges mariners to exercise particular caution in these waters.