Trondheim has also been chosen to become the ocean technology hub for the nation, with extensive state investment in the OceanSpace Centre (OSC), which includes FjordLab, and OceanLab. Surrounding NTNU and SINTEF in Trondheim are several hundred small-to-medium-sized enterprises involved in marine technology and engineering, developing everything from innovative ROVs to autonomous ships. Then there is the Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research (SINTEF), one of the largest independent research organisations in Europe, which of course has an Oceans division (with some 2000 employees). Trondheim, Norway’s third largest city, hosts the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), which has as one of its strategic focus areas, the Oceans. Norway is famous for its picturesque mountains, glaciers and fjords, with a small population, currently ~5 million, spread over a huge country with over 100,000 km of coastline, exceeded only by Canada. So to say that Norway is deeply involved in ocean engineering would be an understatement the ocean is inextricably woven into the fabric of its history, geography, culture and economic fundamentals. In 1994 Norway joined the European Economic Area and Norway has since played an increasingly important role on the world stage.įast forward to 2021 and Norway is prosperous, with offshore hydrocarbon production its biggest export, followed by aquaculture. Then they discovered oil and gas in their offshore economic zone, and things were never the same again. Let me explain.ĥ0 years ago, Norway was an unassuming, quiet country, where its ~4 million citizens enjoyed their mountains, glaciers and deep coastal fjords in relative isolation from the rest of Europe and, indeed, one might even say the world. This is a great pity, because Norway has so much to offer the international ocean engineering community, and currently finds itself in at a special juncture in time and place. In more recent times, OES and MTS supported an OCEANS conference in the historic city of Bergen, but since then, OES activity in Norway has waned, and the OES Chapter disbanded. ![]() They may even have ‘discovered’ and opened trade with North America, long before Columbus. The Vikings have a long and venerable history of maritime excellence and competency, tested in harsh conditions. Potter, Interim Chair, Norway OES Chapter The establishment of a new Norway OES Chapter Call for Nominations for Distinguished LecturersģD elevation map of the southern part of Norway, from a 1914 original, shaded according to modern elevation data. ![]() ![]()
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