Norway will donate spare parts for Sea King helicopters to Ukraine in order to support their maintenance, the Norwegian Government has announced on its official website.

"As co-chair of the Maritime Capability Coalition, Norway considers it important to ensure that Ukraine is able to build its Coast Guard and increase its maritime capabilities as rapidly as possible. Norway will donate spare parts for Sea King helicopters in order to help support the operation and maintenance of the helicopters that have been donated to Ukraine by Germany," Minister of Defense of Norway Bjørn Arild Gram said.

Sea King is an older type of helicopter and finding spare parts can be difficult, the Government said, adding that the Sea King helicopters were in service in Norway from 1973 until 2023, and have now been replaced by SAR Queen helicopters. The Norwegian helicopters have reached their maximum number of flight hours, and cannot be donated.

Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide emphasized that the Black Sea and the maritime domain in general are of strategic importance to Ukraine, and are crucial to the country's ability to export goods.

"The Maritime Capability Coalition is targeted towards the Ukrainian Naval Forces as a whole, and encompasses the full breadth of maritime capabilities, including the Ukrainian Coast Guard. I am pleased that spare parts from our discarded Sea Kings can help make a difference for Ukraine, and facilitate the efforts to establish the Ukrainian Coast Guard," he said.

As reported, Germany has decided to donate six Sea Kings to Ukraine, while the UK plans to donate three.