Since the hotspot of the maritime industry these days is Oslo, this HANSA issue not surprisingly focuses a lot on[ds_preview] Norway. Nor-Shipping as the largest European trade fair of its kind after SMM in Hamburg expects a record number of visitors mingling at the largest exhibition space ever (pp. 18/19), which is an indication that the bottom of the shipping crisis might already have been left behind.
It is also worthwhile looking into Norway because its maritime industry has demonstrated itself as relatively crisis-proof during the past tough years. This is due to a high level of specialization, individual solutions, leadership in innovation, excellent quality as well as an extensive network of business partners and customers. The report on the Bergen cluster in this issue (pp. 20ff) looks behind the scenes of this success story and also underlines that Norway’s maritime backbone consists at least of three parts: Oslo, Bergen, and Ålesund.
Another occasion for Norway to make headlines is the recent delivery of cruise ship »Norwegian Breakaway« (pp. 26ff). Although her operator Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) today is an international company headquartered in Miami, NCL founder Knut Kloster was a true Norwegian, as the company name shows until today. »Breakaway« is the twelfth vessel of the cruise line and thereof the ninth which was constructed at Meyer Werft in Papenburg. At the same time she is the largest cruise ship ever built in Germany.
This brings us to the good co-operation of Norway and Germany, which is not only established in the maritime field, but for example also with regard to energy policy. Having a common business attitude concerning research & development, quality and individualized solutions, companies from both countries have been working together very well for a long time.
The merger of Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and Germanischer Lloyd (GL) could boost this collaboration even more. Although many in the industry look upon this deal as a takeover of GL by DNV, Norwegian executives have made it pretty clear that they don’t have any hostile move in mind. »It’s a true merger, not a takeover,« said DNV CEO Henrik O. Madsen in a recent interview with HANSA – and he really seems to be a guy to trust. The merger, which is expected to be closed by the end of the year, will not only bring the two classification societies to the brink of their industry, but it will also intensify the co-operation of both maritime clusters.
Thus, German technology suppliers might find it easier to get a foot in the door of such promising markets like Brazil or Middle East. Backed by their long tradition in offshore oil and gas, many Norwegian companies have already established significant business connections there, while some also had to learn the hard way. Both experiences could be educational anyway, and most likely there is also something Norwegian companies could learn from their German counterparts. Let’s get started and find it out …
Nikos Späth
