Business seminar maritime industries

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Dear Vice Minister,

Ladies and gentlemen.

 

Dear friends.

Good morning to you all!

This is my first day in truly beautiful Vietnam.
And Vietnam is also impressive in many other areas:

• It is among the fastest growing economies in South-East Asia.
• And, as estimated by PricewaterhouseCooper, Vietnam will be among the 20 largest economies in the world by 2050.

In light of these developments, I am glad that the ties between Norway and Vietnam already strong, and growing stronger.

In recent years we have seen many positive developments in our economic relationship:

• Trade in goods between our countries has increased significantly. Trade in services is also becoming more important.
• The number of Norwegian companies in Vietnam has grown. Vietnam is a promising market for Norwegian companies in a wide range of sectors.
  Like the marine industry, consumer products, ICT, hydropower and energy related services. And, importantly, within the maritime sector.
• And last, but not least, we are taking important steps in our free trade negotiations between EFTA and Vietnam.
  These negotiations are of great importance to Norway.
  The agreement will have positive effects for the maritime sectors in both Vietnam and Norway.

 

Both Norway and Vietnam are important maritime nations.
In recent years we have observed the impressive maritime development in Vietnam.

Though the financial turmoil led to challenging times for the Vietnamese maritime industry, we are confident that this trend has been turned.

I hope that Norway may take an increasing part in this development.
Our maritime sectors are complementary and I see mutual benefits from closer relations.

This is also reflected in this trade delegation:
Many Norwegian maritime companies are participating in the delegation.

This shows that the Norwegian maritime industry sees the great opportunities in Vietnam – and that they wish to contribute to the growth in the Vietnamese maritime industry.

The importance of Norwegian-Vietnamese maritime relations is also reflected in our program for this visit to Vietnam:

• I know that many delegates have visited shipyards in the Vung Tau area this week;
• The possibilities for closer cooperation in the maritime sector are discussed in two separate maritime seminars, both in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday, and here in Hanoi today ;
• And finally, we will open the Vinomarine production facilities in Hai Phong and the new DNV GL office in Ho Chi Minh City.
  These companies are important representatives of the Norwegian maritime cluster.

I can assure our friends in Vietnam that cooperation with the Norwegian maritime industry will only strengthen the positive maritime developments that we have already seen.

The Norwegian shipping industry is known for its innovation and specialization, and we have one of the largest and most advanced offshore fleets in the world.

From 2010 to 2012 the number of port calls from Norwegian ships to Vietnamese ports, mainly from DOF and Havila, tripled.
The main reason for this is the increasing number of Norwegian offshore service vessels working on the Vietnamese continental shelf.

We must also remember the huge potential that can be found in our shipbuilding industries, with several ships built in Vietnam by Norwegian companies.

The Vietnamese market is described by the Norwegian maritime suppliers as important and with prospects of growth in the years ahead. 

I also believe that the Norwegian suppliers’ competence and advanced technology will contribute to this growth.

I hope you will have a useful and interesting seminar here today, and I urge you to use this opportunity to make new business connections and establish new friendships between Vietnam and Norway.

Thank you for your attention.