Cambridge economist Alfred Marshall, writing in ‘Principles of Economics’ in 1890, was firmly convinced that dense clusters of industry were natural breeding grounds for new ideas. There is now consensus that the key to successful cities is ‘human capital’ – education, training and skill. The Oslo Shipping Talks will discuss and evaluate the future for Norwegian maritime enterprises and their global influence .With China as Partner Country in 2010, the event includes high profile speakers who bring and experience and understanding of Asia’s growing dominance of shipping. On June 1st, the first of a series of three Oslo Shipping Talks will be held to discuss and evaluate the Oslo and Norwegian maritime cluster, how it will be defined in the future.

Going Offshore?

With North Sea oil on their doorstep, the various Norwegian players in the country’s maritime cluster have risen from modest beginnings in the early 1970s and existed in an arena of sharp internal and external competition. Now they are world leaders for the offshore sector. Oil and gas is Norway’s most profitable industry, making up more than 20% of gross domestic product and nearly 50% of the country’s total export revenue, so it should come as no surprise that offshore plays such a huge role in the Norwegian maritimecluster.

On the west cost alone, around 21,000 people work at about 12 design companies, 17 shipowning companies, 13 shipyards and 161 equipment suppliers with a total turnover of NOK 41.4bn. With offshore oil as a cornerstone of the entire Norwegian economy, to what extent have OSVs and related offshore technology supplanted traditional deepwater shipping in Norway’s maritime cluster --- in terms of value, importance and potential? But is Norway already in the process of losing its offshore advantage? With glut of OSV orders worldwide and the scarcity of new orders in Norway, how is the nation going to preserve its cluster without ruining the market further?

Industry Support:

“Norway has long and proud maritime traditions. Today, we are proud of the components of our maritime cluster which individually and together play important roles in the global business of shipping. The Norwegian authorities’ ambitions are still to create competitive business opportunities for the members of this cluster and to attract international members of the shipping communities to do business in Norway. We are therefore supporting Oslo Shipping Talks as an arena for discussions about how the future shipping industry will develop.”

Trond Giske, Minister of Trade & Industry

“We welcome and support this initiative at this critical time to bring the Norwegian and international maritime business community to Oslo and look forward to taking part in the Talks.”

Sturla Henriksen, Managing Director, Norges Rederiforbund

“Norsk Industri, The Federation of Norwegian Industries, is wholeheartedly backing the Oslo Shipping Talks and hopes they will help build new alliances to secure future business.”

Egil Holland, Director, Maritime Sector, Federation of Norwegian Industries

“The Oslo Maritime Network is delighted to be supporting this important opportunity for the Oslo shipping community to meet and interact with the wider international maritime network. We welcome our friends and business partners from China and look forward to constructive discussions and future cooperation.”

Morits Skaugen, Chairman, Oslo Maritime Network

“Shipping represents the lifeblood of the world economy and is key to ensuring global development. The present times are tough, but I believe we are heading for a slow but steady recovery. China plays a key role in this recovery, and the entire maritime industry has to work together to ensure this. With this in mind, I welcome you to Oslo Shipping Talks. “

Henrik Madsen, President & CEO, DNV

If you would like information about sponsoring these Talks, please contact:

EMEA

Eric Branson (eric.branson@nhstevents.com)

Asia Pacific

Wei Ying (wei.ying@nhstevents.com)