The shipping company Edda Wind in Haugesund recently ordered four new ships for its offshore wind venture. The company thus has twelve new ships to be delivered by 2026. The first already next week. – We focus exclusively on offshore offshore wind. Worldwide, excluding China, there is a need for 250 such ships that we build, says Kenneth Walland, managing director of Edda Wind. The customers are the large wind farm companies such as Ørsted and Vesta in Denmark. Germany and the UK are also important markets. – We will be a leading player for these customers, and need our fleet to grow, says Walland. Kenneth Walland, CEO of Edda Wind. Photo: Gisle Jørgensen / news It is not more than three years since Norwegian harbors were jam-packed with ships lying in storage. Both because of the corona pandemic and the crisis in the offshore sector. Now the arrow has turned strongly the other way. 215 new ships Edda Wind is not alone in having an extensive construction programme. Today, the Norwegian Shipping Association presented the business cycle report for 2023. According to it, Norwegian shipping companies plan to build 215 new ships over the next five years. In the offshore fleet, there has been a construction stoppage for almost ten years. At the same time, the ships that have been in storage have either been sold or gone for recycling. In the next five years, it is now planned to build 84 new ships. – It is gratifying to see that the expertise the shipping companies have built up through oil and gas is now in strong demand within offshore wind, says CEO Harald Solberg of the Norwegian Shipping Association. He handed over the report to Minister Bjørnar Skjæran (Ap) this morning. The minister points out that the maritime industry creates great value and exciting jobs for people all over the country. – I am pleased that the shipping companies have faith in our active business policy and are investing in green shipping and zero-emission solutions. This gives Norwegian shipyards many assignments, and we want to contribute to greater ripple effects. This fits in well with the government’s strategy for green industrial promotion, of which the maritime industry is an important part, says Skjæran. Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bjørnar Skjæran (Ap). Photo: Gisle Jørgensen / news In the offshore fleet, construction has been halted for almost ten years. – Politically speaking, it is important to have predictable framework conditions, says Solberg. According to the report, one of the reasons for the building boom is the need for more climate-friendly ships. Nine out of ten shipping companies state in the report that they will build new ships with technology that is ready for climate-neutral solutions. – Norway really leads the way in technology development, and is very forward-looking. It is also important for Norway’s competitiveness in the years to come, says Solberg. Harald Solberg in the Norwegian Shipping Association. Photo: Kilian Munch / Kilian Munch Edda Wind and their partners are a good example of that. – All our twelve new ships have battery systems that mean they will use little marine diesel. In addition, they are being prepared to use a hydrogen solution that we firmly believe in. Within a few years, these ships will be independent of fossil fuel, says Kenneth Walland. Local and national ripple effects The fact that the shipping companies will build over 200 ships in the next few years will also provide many jobs along the coast. 79 percent of shipping companies say that they are considering Norwegian shipyards for shipbuilding. – This is important for the Norwegian supply chain, and a change from 2018. We are working on a lot of exciting ship types, says Harald Solberg. Edda Breeze under construction in Spain. Photo: JAIME F.POLA / JAIME F.POLA The last four ships that Edda Wind ordered just two weeks ago will be built by the shipyard group Vard with headquarters in Ålesund. Two of the ships will be built in Norway, while two will be built at Vard’s shipyard in Vietnam. – It is a combination of price, delivery time and delivery ability that made us choose Vard this time. It is very nice to be able to build at Norwegian shipyards, says Kenneth Walland. The other eight ships are being built at two shipyards in Spain. But even if the ships are built abroad, the content and technology in the ships are often from Norway. – Regardless of where we build, it will have major ripple effects for the Norwegian maritime industry. All advanced equipment is mostly from Norway, and on the eight ships we are building in Spain, the Norwegian share of the deliveries is around 40 per cent, concludes Walland.
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Norwegian shipping companies are building ships like never before – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
