Coastal Affairs Section

The Coastal Affairs Section has overall responsibility for maritime transport, preventive maritime safety and contingency planning to combat severe pollution. The section follows up measures and initiatives in maritime transport and preventive maritime safety incorporated in the National Transport Plan, hereunder ports policy, measures relating to ports and fairways, the transfer of goods transport from road to sea and the operation and maintenance of maritime infrastructure. The section is also responsible for public safety and contingency plans and systems in the coastal administration area. Further, the section is also responsible for following up the administration and operation of the community of Jan Mayen. In addition to the above, the section is responsible for The Act Relating to Ports and Fairways (The Port Act), The Act Relating to the Pilotage Service (the Pilotage Act) and segments of the Svalbard Environmental Protection act and the Pollution Control Act. The Department is also responsible for the supervision of the subordinate agencies the Norwegian Coastal Administration and the Centre for Oil Pollution Control and Marine Environment. The section is actively engaged in developing and improving the knowledge and decision-making basis in the area, through amongst other things statistics, analyses of the flow of goods, transportation models and analyses of social economics.