VIP-mottakelse Nor-Shipping

Ministers.

Excellencies.

Ladies and gentlemen.

Dear friends.

Welcome to Oslo and Nor-Shipping 2015 on these beautiful days in June.

This year, I have been told that about 50 countries participate in the exhibition.

It is a pleasure to welcome you - delegates from these countries, high level executives and decision makers - here at the Fram Museum.

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This year’s slogan for NOR-Shipping – “50 years looking ahead” – sums up what we are trying to achieve the next days.

The most intriguing question is “What´s next?”

What will the next generation of shipping look like?

We do not need to look far for inspiration to answer this question.

In 1910 the ship “Fram” carried the Arctic explorer Roald Amundsen to his conquest of the South Pole.

Amundsen once said: “Adventure is just bad planning”.

As politicians, we seldom seek adventure for our economies and societies.

Like Amundsen, we prefer good planning.

And we always strive to be prepared – also for the unpredictable.

But first and foremost, we focus on preparing for developments we can actually predict, and the ones we see unfolding today.

The second important feature of “Fram” is its robustness – as it was built to withstand the forces of the ice in polar areas.

Robustness is about preparing for the future and adapting to the realities we face; like climate change, economic turmoil and the increased opportunities and challenges in the Arctic.

Robustness is about building a society and an industry that can tackle both unexpected and expected developments.

And third, “Fram” directly translated from Norwegian means forward. 

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A few days ago the Norwegian government launched its maritime strategy -where the main objective is to achieve a blue growth for a green future.

And as important, we need to provide the industry with the tools to handle developments they meet in the future by:

• Continuing to develop new technologies.
• Continuing to develop competences for a sustainable maritime industry.
• And like Amundsen, plan ahead, but at the same time – be ready to take on challenges in new seas, like we see in the Arctic.

Though the future is unclear, there are however some things which are certain.

• Seaborne trade will be the major mode of international transport in the foreseeable future.
• And the ocean and its resources is the answer for a growing population’s demands.

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I look forward to discuss with you the industry’s thoughts on the next generation of shipping. And I hope that all of you will use this opportunity to talk, mingle, exchange ideas, in order to realize the full potential of the maritime industry.

Let me thank you for coming here tonight to discuss our joint course for the years to come.

I wish you the best of luck with the conference and exhibition and some productive days in Oslo with us.

Thank you for your attention!

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