Turkey’s Sanmar Shipyards has booked another e-tug order. It has signed an order that will see it build a zero-emission ElectRA 2200SX design tugboat for Norway’s Buksér og Berging. The order comes hard on the heels of that for two ElectRA 2300SX battery electric tugs recently placed with Sanmar by SAAM towage for its Vancouver operations. Both the Electra 2200SX and 2300SX are exclusive-to-Sanmar Robert Allan Ltd designs. The Buksér og Berging vessel is set for delivery in November 2023 and will join the Norwegian operator’s Port of Oslo fleet. The company already operates seven Sanmar-built which include the Tier lll emissions compliant sister escort tugs Bamse and Bob and the Borgoy and Bokn, the world’s first two purely LNG-fueled tugboats. Read full story: Marine Log

Kongsberg Digital to digitalize SOECHI Lines’ fleet
SOECHI Lines is one of Indonesia’s largest tanker operators and shipyard companies, transporting oil, gas and chemicals in Indonesia, Southeast Asia, India and the Middle East. “We proudly announce this contract with SOECHI Line, one of Indonesia´s most prominent marine tanker companies. SOECHI Line is determined to take measures to become more sustainable and ensure efficient and safe operations. We are pleased that the company has chosen Kongsberg Digital to support their digital journey. This contract is another significant step towards the global digitalization of the shipping industry,” says Christopher Bergsager, VP Growth Digital Ocean at Kongsberg Digital. Kongsberg Digital is an industrial software company that provides SaaS solutions to enable vessel-to-cloud data infrastructure, automatic contextualization, and capturing and aggregating quality data cost-effectively and securely. The solution provides instant and easy access to fleet overview, vessel-specific dashboards, and data analysis tools to optimize fleet operations. Read full story: Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

Grieg Maritime Group Wins The Corporate Diversity Award 2022 At The WISTA AGM
WISTA International held the Annual General Meeting (AGM), which took place on 26 October in Geneva, Switzerland, and it announced its Corporate Diversity Award winner, which this year is the Grieg Maritime Group. WISTA International’s Corporate Diversity Award recognizes companies and organizations making significant strides in incorporating diversity throughout their business and are recognized for their contributions and commitment to improving practices and making working environments more inclusive. Matt Duke, Chief Executive Officer of Grieg Maritime Group declared: “It is humbling to get this kind of recognition. We know we still have a lot more work to do regarding diversity and inclusion. We strive to be better, not to fulfil some KPI or tick a box in the ESG reporting, but because we want the best people to work for us. With that mindset, it would be counter-productive to exclude half the talent pool. Gender equity, as diversity in general, is about having the best team. We are very grateful for all the women and men in our organisation, and together we shall continue to develop our business and drive forwards maritime solutions for a better future. For us in Grieg Maritime Group, we have strong owners and a board who also passionately believe in the competitive edge that true diversity brings. This means we can lead and commit to concrete targets with their full support. We are immensely proud that the previous Chair of the board, Elisabeth Grieg, was the first woman president of the Norwegian Ship Owners Association. Likewise, Camilla Grieg was the first female president of the Bergen Ship Owners Association. Their personal achievements and commitments to our industry and the wider world inspire us in our work.” Read full story: Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide


How Oslo’s Startups Want To Move Norway Away From Oil

At the end of our interview, Johan Brand calls me an Uber to Gardermoen, and carries my suitcase out to the boot of the car. Tech millionaires don’t often help me with my luggage, but this is Oslo, where the startup scene is very much on a human scale, and besides, Brand doesn’t think like most people. In 2010, he co-founded one of the earliest social impact investment funds, We Are Human. Two years later, as an investor, he co-founded Kahoot!, the games-based educational learning app, currently valued at just under 13bn NOK. Neurodiverse himself, he is fascinated by how people learn. Fortunately, he observes, "Norwegians are good at learning new things. Our way of life has meant we had to teach ourselves to learn most things." Most famously, Norway has learnt how to be an oil power. Oil - or, more precisely, the prudent investment of oil revenues in the Government Pension Fund - has helped make Norway the sixth wealthiest country in the world. The Government has recently underlined its commitment to continuing oil and gas. However, this summer, the prime minister and minister for Trade and Industry set out a road map to illustrate how Norway can use skills learnt from the oil and gas industry to become a clean energy superpower. "We've always been a green country in the sense we have hydropower and export our energy," acknowledges Brand. "Norway is green at home, but we are still one of the world's biggest exporters of oil and gas. So it's a weird thing to think clean and act dirty." Read full story: forbes.com

Seafood Industry Creates NOK 120bn for Norway
Those are among the findings of a report prepared by consultants Menon Economics with research institutions Nofima and Norce. The study found that last year saw the industry growing by an extra 13,000 jobs, with an estimated 106,000 people working directly or indirectly with the sector. The estimate for the industry’s contribution is based on the “ripple effect”, the report says. Jonas Erraia, partner at Menon Economics: “The seafood industry fared well throughout the pandemic compared to other industries, but nevertheless experienced a demanding 2020. We now have the results from 2021, and we see that the industry has been boosted and is setting new records regarding value creation, exports and employment.” Value creation in the industry increased by NOK 11 billion (£0.9bn) from 2020 to 2021. In 2019, value creation was slightly higher than in 2021, but last year’s value creation is nevertheless at a historically high level. Employment effects from the industry are the highest in recent times. Around 3% of the Norwegian government’s tax revenues derive from the seafood and related industries, the report says. Project manager Roy Robertsen, senior scientist at Nofima, said: “The seafood industry is one of Norway’s most important regional industries. The industry is represented throughout the entire country, but it is in Western and Northern Norway that seafood production is most important regarding value creation and employment. Few industries have grown more than the seafood industry in the last 15 years.” Read full story: fishfarmermagazine.com

‘Exceptional’ Viking Silver Discovery in Central Norway

Norwegian genealogy, emigration, and transmigration

AKTIV Against Cancer, the organization co-founded by legendary runner Grete Waitz and Helle Aanesen, will honor adidas and Olympic Champion Chaunté Lowe for outstanding contributions to the field of Exercise Oncology at their eighth annual awards luncheon. The reception will be held November 3 at the historic New York Athletic Club.

Decades of trade and commercial cooperation have been mutually beneficial to Norway and the United States in industries such as energy, clean technology, defense and the maritime sector. 

Both nations have set ambitious climate goals, agreeing to cut emissions in half by 2030. Industry will play a crucial role in reaching that goal, while at the same time creating well-paying jobs and sustainable growth. American and Norwegian business and innovation communities are leading the development of the clean technology needed, such as offshore wind, zero-emission transportation and Carbon Capture and Storage. 

This year’s Norway Means Business will gather prominent leaders and experts to explore the opportunities for our two countries and industries to work together as true partners in creating sustainable jobs and growth.​​

- Our panelists shared their experiences and success stories from entering the US market

- Find out how you can play a significant role in launching new Nordic businesses in America

BARN's Mission: To provide trusted advice and superior support to Nordic business leaders as they successfully launch their products and services in the American marketplace.

UN Sustainable Development Goals:
COVID-19 and the Decade of Action

NORWEGIAN AUTHORS YOU SHOULD KNOW  

A Dialogue with Stavros Lambrinidis, Ambassador of the European Union to the United States

Cruise Industry Update
New Technologies Make Cruising Safe Again

Capt. Jan Solum, Area Manager, Atlantic & Caribbean, DNV GL Cruise Center,  Maritime Fleet in Service & Advisory Services

Teemu Pajala, Technical Manager, ABB Marine & Ports

Immigration Implications in Uncertain Times
 

Norwegian Fashion in New York
Where do we go from here?