Among the world's most environmentally conscious, Norway's maritime industry looks to innovative and eco-friendly solutions for the future.
Despite being one of the least populous nations, Norway has one of the largest merchant fleets, with the maritime sector accounting for 15 per cent of the country's exports. Norwegian companies own or operate some 1,400 vessels and account for close to 10 per cent of the global merchant fleet, making Norway one of the four top shipping nations. It controls approximately 23 per cent of the world's cruise vessels, 19 per cent of the gas carriers, 19 per cent of the chemical tankers and 10.5 per cent of the crude oil tankers.
Norway's fleet of 200 offshore service vessels and 75 mobile offshore units operate in the North Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Far East.
More than 90 per cent of the Norwegian fleet is engaged in trading outside Norwegian waters; they carry crude oil from the Middle East to Europe and motor vehicles from Japan to the US. No surprise, then, that the industry employs close to 90,000 people. It is also closely connected to the fishing and aquaculture industries.
Environmentally conscious
Creditably, Norway's maritime industry, which includes ship owners, brokers, banks, shipyards, maritime research, design and engineering, law firms, marine insurers and underwriters, is also among the most environmentally conscious.
In a recent presentation on the Norwegian government's maritime strategy, Dag Terje Andersen, minister of trade and industry, declared that Norway would strive to continue to be a world-leading maritime nation and provide the most innovative and environmentally friendly solutions.
This strategy is to be supported by a government allocation of 252 million crowns (Dh170.947) in the 2008 budget, an increase of 100 million crowns over 2007.
The new strategy highlights the challenges facing the maritime sector, including globalisation and national policies, environmentally sustainable maritime industries, maritime competence, research and innovation.
New nature-friendly solutions
According to Andersen, the Norwegian maritime industry aims to be the world's most environmentally friendly and hopes to develop new and innovative solutions.
The measures include a new tax regime for Norwegian shipping companies similar to that adopted by the European Union (EU), continuation of the net wage scheme for seafarers, allocations for maritime research and innovation to be increased substantially in the budget for 2008, and efforts within the International Maritime Organisation to reduce noxious emissions from ships.
The maritime sector, which includes shipping, shipyards, ship's gear products and service providers, has been earmarked as one of the five policy areas to be given particular attention.
Cooperation with other countries
Norway has been working closely with the European Commission (EC) in drawing up an action plan for the EU's integrated maritime policy.
"The EU and Norway have similar positions on maritime affairs, and we have followed the process leading up to the presentation of the action plan closely," said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store.
The EU's action plan covers industries and jobs connected with the sea and aims to ensure that these industries are able to compete in an environmentally sustainable way.
"I see that the plan focuses strongly on knowledge, research and innovation. Many of the challenges we are facing cannot be resolved by individual countries or groups of countries alone. They require broad international solutions," Store added.
"I am pleased to note that the Commission proposes legislation that will facilitate seabed storage of CO2. This is something Norway is pushing hard for."
Tapping natural resources
Faced by global warming and a scarcity of resources, the Arctic is the new destination for those looking for more natural resources and hydrocarbons. According to a study by two British consulting firms, Wood McKenzie and Fugro Robertson, "Oil and natural gas reserves totalling 233 billion barrels of oil or its equivalent can be found in the Arctic Basin with potential additional resources estimated at 166 billion barrels of oil equivalent."
Norway, always a pioneer, is working with neighbouring nations to tap these reserves.
