The monument features the names of 52 people – 51 men and one woman – who have lost their lives at sea, from falling off bird cliffs or in other accidents.

The first registered casualty on the monument dates all the way back to 1739, and the most recent is from 1984.

Svínoy has been hit hard by boating accidents over the years. In the period between 1861 and 1913, six boats from the village perished at sea, with a total of 24 men.

Reflections in the sea

Klaksvík-based graphic artist Edward Fuglø has designed the monument, which was manufactured in Germany.

“I was deeply honoured to be asked to design this monument. The sea has given our country so much, but it has certainly also taken a lot away from us,” he said at Saturday’s ceremony.

“To underpin the notion of the sea, I decided to use mirror-polished stainless steel. The round forms can be interpreted as water, which reflects heaven and earth and everything in between.”