Page 50: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (February 1999)

With 70 percent of its company's business tied to the offshore market,

Ulstein Group's president and CEO

Bard Mikkelsen is hopeful that oil companies' ability to recover resources more cost effectively will allow them to hang on and sustain

E&P through the ongoing oil price crisis. While this and the Asian financial woes pose near-term dips,

Mikkelsen reports that Ulstein

Group s performance is on a rising curve. Profitability has been increased across the board and order- books, particularly with propulsion products at Ulstein Propeller, are at record levels. ated a new force in the interna- tional market. KSE's range fea- tures liquid cargo handling sys- tems for tankers, inert gas sys- tems, engine room pumps and cargo access equipment for all ship types, while Hamworthy's key areas include shipboard air com- pressors, centrifugal pumps, waste treatment systems, Svanehoj deepwell cargo pumps, and

Schilling high-lift rudders.

Significantly, the takeover excluded Kvaerner Marine

Automation, a Norwegian home- grown division with strengths in integrated bridge control systems, as well as Kvaerner Kincaid in

Scotland and KSE's Singapore headquarters. KSE was viewed as no longer core to the Kvaerner organization's areas of engage- ment. Deteriorating financial results for the Kvaerner Group has seen the implementation of a criti- cal review of the composition of activities and an assessment of long-term profit potential within each of the various business areas, covering shipbuilding, construc- tion and engineering. Former ABB executive vice president Kjell

Almskog moved into his new office on December 7 as Kvaerner president, to lead the work initiat- ed by the board to focus and sharp- en the Group's strategy.

Further sales of non-core assets and elimination of debt are key objectives. Mr. Almskog was reported in the group's house jour- nal as stating that "There will be a stronger focus on technology in the future. Those areas where we have no technology, no special capabili- ties, no special market position, where we are one out of 27 others, we will let go. You don't get medals for being 27th or indeed second — we've got to be number one."

The Aker Group, meanwhile, is rumored to be looking at possibili- ties overseas for expanding its shipbuilding interests. Aker Yards, 51 percent owned by Aker RGI and 49 percent by Aker Maritime, has demonstrated its prowess in both highly-specialized one-off con- struction and also in series produc- tion of high-grade, more populous vessel types. Its field of interest is

All the boats in the Whitbread Around the World Race 1997/98 have chosen

Inmarsat terminals from Nera to keep in touch with the rest of the world du- ring this extremely tough regatta.

Nera's well-tested Saturn B and

Saturn C terminals ensure the participants standard phone connecti- ons, fax, e-mail and video recording transmission.

By the end of 1997 Nera had delivered nearly 2 000 B Marine ter- minals, which represents a market share of more than 40 percent.

During the autumn of 1997, Nera introduced a new satellite station which is well suited for small crafts and pleasure boats, but also ideal as

All Nera Inmarsat terminals are at the cutting edge of operational safety and connection quality.

Nera are the world's leading supplier of Inmarsat stations, with a worldwide service network of subsi- diaries and agents.

NERU relief or back-up for larger commerci- al vessels or passenger ships. The

Nera WorldPhone Marine is small, light, easy to use and install, and abo- ve all, affordable.

Nera Satcom AS

P.O. Box 91, N-1361 Billingstad, Norway

Tel: +47 67 24 47 00, Fax: +47 67 24 46 21

Homepage: http://www.nera.no

OFFICIAL SUPPLIER OF

SATELLITE COMMUNICATION

EQUIPMENT

NERR

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Changing the way you communicate

Circle 282 on Reader Service Card

Tomorrow's satellite telephone is here no^v!

February, 1999 47