The maritime trade fair expects about 18,000 visitors this year. One of the key interests is the offshore industry since many Norwegian companies are involved in this sector
This year’s Nor-Shipping takes place in Oslo from 4–7 June for the 24th time. The predecessor of the[ds_preview] shipping trade fair was organized for the first time as Deck and Engine Room in the early 1960s by Norwegian Industrial Fairs (now Norway Trade Fairs) in cooperation with the magazine »Skip«. This event stayed entirely national on the first two occasions it was staged, focusing more on Norwegian seafarers and their shipboard workplace than on wider aspects. The international potential for a shipping exhibition in Norway was spotted by the Norwegian shipowner and magazine publisher Per Selvig. He contacted Edvard Mowinckel-Larsen, then head of Norwegian Industrial Fairs, to propose a broader and more international focus for the next maritime exhibition.
Biggest maritime event in Scandinavia
The first Nor-Shipping was held in 1965. From that time on the event has taken place every two years in the Norwegian capital. The name Nor-Shipping, now so familiar, was first applied for the third event in 1971. The event in Norges Varemesse is the biggest international shipbuilding forum in Europe behind the SMM in Hamburg, which makes the fair In 2011, Nor-Shipping was more popular than ever before with a record visitor number of 16,235. This year the biggest maritime event in Scandinavia expects approximately 18,000 visitors and about 1,050 exhibitors from 56 countries, many of whom have asked for more space compared with two years ago. Therefore, Nor-Shipping was forced to expand its exhibition area. A total of 22,200 m2 of exhibition space is spread over six halls.
For easy navigation, the exhibitors are grouped into six theme halls, which cover the topics IT and navigation, innovation and venture, safety and rescue, shipbuilding and repair, maritime services and logistics as well as propulsion and machinery. New in Oslo this time is the »Innovation Park«, where companies can present new products.
24th which is composed of three maritime symbols. The Venus-Aphrodite is a mythical maritime heritage, the green rays occur shortly before sunrise and the northern lights are an exotic attraction of the high north. The symbol, a female figure, is a mix of Venus, a mermaid and a ship’s anchor. She now floats in a water bubble, accented by morning light.
Focus on offshore segment
The maritime event has expanded its conference programme to include even more of the offshore maritime segment. Especially Nor-Shipping focuses on special offshore vessels and ferries. Other key interests are new technologies in the LNG sector, green shipping and propulsion systems. Building on the success of its first-ever offshore conference in 2011, Nor-Shipping will again host the »Agenda Offshore« on 5 June, signifying the importance of the maritime industry as it increasingly moves offshore to service the oil and gas industry. Speakers Helge Lund, CEO of Statoil, and Andy Brown, the Upstream International Director of Royal Dutch Shell, will share their insights as major oil and gas companies that are dependent on the maritime supply industry for their cutting-edge technology and sophisticated equipment and vessels.
Norway’s supplier industry plays a key role in offshore developments around the world, be it off Norway, Brazil, West Africa, or in the Gulf of Mexico. During the »New Frontiers« roundtable executives from the shipping industry and from companies actively exploring new frontiers will discuss how new acreages in deep waters and harsh climates are creating huge demand for offshore services. Kristian Siem, Chairman and CEO of Siem Industries, and Remi Eriksen, CEO of DNV Maritime and Oil & Gas, will be among those joining the discussion.
The »Ocean Space« roundtable will look at pushing both geographical and industry borders in the ocean space. Christina Grumstrup Sørensen, Senior Vice President for Wind Power at Dong Energy, will be one of the keynote speakers for this session. »Norway’s maritime companies can yet again push the borders by reinventing themselves as ocean industry experts,« says Nor-Shipping Director Vidar Pederstad.
