Some of the crew of the Norwegian Coastguard ship (called the KV Svalbard) wait at the rail while the ship takes on supplies in Longyearbyen harbour in Svalbard.

Looking down over the bow of the KV Svalbard icebreaking ship surrounded by close drift ice in the waters north of Svalbard

Looking down from a helicopter over the deck of the KV Svalbard coastguard ship, while the vessel navigates through close drift ice in the waters around the Svalbard archipelago.

A young member of the Norwegian coastguard works to scrape ice off of the deck of the KV Svalbard vessel. All the ice must be removed before the helicopter can land safely on the flight deck. The ship is surrounded by floes of drifting sea ice.

The flight deck of the KV Svalbard coastguard ship is made ready for a small helicopter to take off during operations. The helicopter carries researchers working on a polar bear count. The Norwegian coastguard provides assistance to government scientists and researchers as part of its duties in the High Arctic.

Members of the KV Svalbard crew walk back to their ship through the snow, after visiting the settlement of Ny Ålesund on Svalbard. They carry bags full of souvenirs for their family and friends back in Norway.

A ‘crossing the line’ ceremony taking place while the KV Svalbard crosses the Arctic Circle. Many of the young recruits are crossing the line for the first time. They are subjected to rituals like having ice cold water down their necks and having to drink foul tasting liquids, supervised by an office dressed as Neptune -god of the sea

Two members of the flight crew on the edge of the flight deck of the KV Svalbard ship, as they wait for operations to start. The ship is surrounded by contiguous floes of sea ice.

Six crew members make a formation on the flight deck of the KV Svalbard while waiting for a helicopter to finish operations. The photographer made this image from high above the ship in the helicopter as it circled the vessel.

The KV Svalbard vessel steams away from a smaller ship that it has just resupplied. The photograph is made through rope rigging that has frozen in the Arctic temperatures. The crew of the KV Svalbard will often support other vessels in the Arctic sea ice because of their higher ice class -their ability to cut through thicker ice. Scientists and researchers working for the Norwegian government will rely on this support.