Barents-2018, a Russian-Norwegian exercise for rescuing seafarers in distress and mitigating oil-related spills, will take place at the end of May, the Northern Fleet press service told journalists on Wednesday.

"Northern Fleet search-and-rescue teams are completing preparations for the Barents annual joint Russia-Norway exercise that will take place in the Barents Sea at the end of May," the report reads.

The Northern Fleet's contribution includes the Nikolay Chiker rescue tug, an Il-38 ASW aircraft, which is equipped for search-and rescue missions, a Ka-27 PC helicopter and a new Ilya Muromets multifunctional icebreaker, which passed an ice test last month.

The Barents exercise is held annually by Russia and Norway in the Arctic region. An intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Norway on cooperation in searching for missing people and rescuing stranded people in the Barents Sea was signed on October 4, 1995. Russia and Norway supervise the exercise in turns.