Page 104: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 1998)

SCANDINAVIAN REPORT (Continued from page 82) shipbuilder, one with many yards strategically positioned around the world, but similar in that they offer a variety of specialized, high value vessels and innovations.

Speaking with his Norwegian

Shipbuilding Association hat on,

Arnt S. Hana, vice president, shipbuilding for Kvaerner ASA, said that the challenges facing

Norwegian shipbuilders is the country itself, considering the high cost of doing business here. He maintains that the shipyards, to survive, must stay at the forefront of technology and continue to develop and deliver specialty, niche vessels. The shipowner associa- tion's primary concern today is bro- kering a parallel system to its main competitors, the European yards, in terms of subsidies.

In terms of ship's equipment, it's worthy to reiterate that Norwegian manufacturers continue to develop advanced solutions for all of the world's fleet. (Or, as a recent example points out, buy a worthy competitor, as Ulstein recently announced its acquisition of Bird

Johnson for $24 million).

The concept of developing advanced technology and market- ing it for a variety of applications is embodied in the attached story regarding Brunvoll's marketing of thrusters to the cruise ship market (see story, page 86)

Jan Spilleth of the Norwegian

Trade Council points out that one of the biggest challenges to ship equipment makers remains fallin prices, even though developmer and manufacturing costs remai: high. In an effort to remain com petitive, Norwegian suppliers ar quickly building relationship! among yards, owners and equip ment suppliers, in an effort to gar ner help in developing new equip ment. As margins continue t( tighten, Mr. Spilleth said thai) suppliers might look to extend their markets to, for example, the

Far East, a move that would even-| tually entail local production. (Continued from page 87) position in the cruise ship market, extending contractual links with both Carnival Corporation and

Royal Caribbean International. In addition to the $375 million new- building of 2,100 passenger-capaci- ty ordered by Carnival this year as the start of a further three-ship program, the Finnish company booked a $390-million vessel for

Costa Crociere, the Italian affiliate of Carnival, and U.K. firm

Airtours.

Aker Finnyards' workload has been bolstered by commitments to new RoRo tonnage by prominent

Finnish operators maintaining regular, year-round Baltic links with the U.K. and Continental

Europe.

The $45.5 million contract with

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Rederi AB Engship for a 9,300-dwt trailer and freight ferry, followed by a $91 million deal with Bore

Line for two 11,000-dwt, 2,600- lane-meter freight ships, under- scores the versatility of the Rauma yard, in which Aker Maritime has secured a 60 percent stake.

The production program this year has otherwise included the latest hybrid icebreaker-cum-off- shore construction vessel ordered by the Finnish authorities, and a drilling deck structure for a shut- tle tanker adaptation project, in addition to a purpose-designed

Baltic bulker and fast surface com- batant for the Finnish Navy.

Finnyards design, materials and production know-how in the large, fast ferry field - which assimilated during the R&D for, and construction of, Stena's huge

HSS catamarans — provides a technological resource to be tapped again when market conditions| warrant.

As part of the deal which hasl taken the Norwegian group intol

Finland, Aker Maritime has the right and the obligation to acquire the balance of 40 percent in Aker

Finnyards over the next three years. At present, that holding is in the lap of FY-Industries, repre- j senting the interests of the Finnish forestry products company UPM-

Kymmene, investment firm

Optiomi and the Finnish state.

Possibilities for cooperation with Aker Group shipbuilders in

Norway are under evaluation. Two

Norwegian yard clusters, the

Langsten Group and Brattvaag

Industrier, are majority-owned by

Aker RGI. Langsten encompasses three shipyards and a fabricator, while Brattvaag also takes in

Soviknes Verft, bought from Den

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