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24Maritime Reporter & Engineering News The Hanseatic trading city of Bergen, on the edge of the Norwegian North Sea, has a long maritime tradition. From ship-ping to aquaculture to offshore oil and gas, this is a city whose economic iden- tity is defined by its ties to the sea. The city is by far Norway´s largest port, with more than 13 million metric tonnes ofcargo transported to and from Bergen in 2010. Bergen is also the country´s largest center for aquaculture and marine scienceresearch, and is home to the Institute ofMarine Research and an active marine science research centre at the University of Bergen. In addition, since the 1970s, Bergen has been a region of focus for Norway´s off- shore oil and gas industry, given its strate- gic location close to several of Norway´s North Sea oil and gas fields. While Sta- vanger remains the Norwegian oil indus- try´s administrative hub, the Bergen region has established itself as a key op- erational base - today, the Bergen region is home to 60% of Statoil operations forthe Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). In particular, the Bergen region today is a leader in the field of subsea technology ? companies here compete and collabo-rate to drive the development of new so- lutions for subsea oil and gas operations. Though the term ?cluster? is regularly bandied about around the world, the ver- sion created and touted in Bergen is true to the send of the work, part of a govern- ment investment in 12 regional groupings designated as Norwegian Centers of Ex- pertise (NCE). Known as NCE Subsea, the Bergen cluster´s activities support innovation, in- creased capacity and internationalization.Because the Bergen region has specific strengths in after-market activities, NCE Subsea is also highly specialized, focus-ing on maintenance, modification and op- erations (MMO). The cluster is jointly administered byInnovation Norway, SIVA (the Industrial Development Corporation of Norway), and the Research Council of Norway. In total, 124 companies and organiza- tions are members of the NCE Subseanetwork, which is led by a board repre- senting the entire Bergen region, as well as most of the key players in the Norwe- gian offshore and subsea sectors. Statoil, Aker Solutions, FMC, Coast Center Base and the research organization SINTEF Petroleum Research are all included onthe board, which is led by Chair Mr. Tove Ormevik, OIM at Skarv FPSO for BP. The cluster benefits from the presence of the many large oil and gas companies in the Bergen area. companies like Aker So- lutions, FMC, Statoil and DNV have a major presence here, alongside localcompanies with international reach suchas Framo Engineering and DOF Subsea.Many of these companies are expanding their presence and facilities in and around Bergen. The financial infusion that comes with being named an NCE has also helped thecluster to develop: the cluster organiza- tion receives $900,000 from the Norwe- gian government, for 12 years. NCE Subsea also benefits from project fund- ing to supplement its operating budget. Thanks to this support from the Nor- wegian government and additional con- tributions by members, the cluster organization itself is not profit-driven. But it is very clearly business-driven, and focussed on creating economic opportu- nities for members and partners.EXPANDING INFRASTRUCTURE The official designation of the cluster in 2006 gave new profile to the Bergen region´s strengths and has encouraged companies to invest and develop in the region. Many companies are undertaking aggressive expansion programs, display- ing their strong confidence in continued oil and gas-related activity on the Nor- wegian continental shelf. Twenty minutes outside of Bergen, the benefits of geographical co-location within the cluster are on display. The Ågotnes industrial estate, just west of thecity, is home to NCE Subsea´s offices, and also houses facilities of key players including Aker Solutions and Statoil. Statoil´s main Bergen offices are at Sandsli, but its Subsea Pool, which man- ages Statoil´s tools for subsea productionon the Norwegian continental shelf, maintains a facility at Ågotnes. Aker Solutions´ expanded Ågotnes fa- cility opened in 2009, and is the com-pany´s largest subsea service and maintenance base worldwide. Ågotnes focusses on the refurbishment and up-grade of christmas trees used on subseainstallations on the Norwegian Continen- tal Shelf. Coast Center Base (CCB), which is a50% owner of the Ågotnes estate, also has a major facility here for logistics, maintenance and supply activities for North Sea oil and gas fields including Troll ? the world´s largest subsea devel- opment ? as well as Statfjord, Gullfaks, Veslefrikk, Huldra and Kvitebjørn. Across the water from Ågotnes, Framo Engineering´s extensive new facility at Horsøy is visible. Framo is a Bergen- based product developer, supplier and system supplier, with three main product groups ? pumps and subsea systems,multiphase metering, and swivels and marine systems.FEATURE OFFSHOREBergen Bound The Bergen region is home to 60% of Statoil operations for the Norwegian Continental Shelf by Clare McIntyre The semi-submersible SongaDelta rig at Coast Centre Base, near Bergen, Norway, for regu- lar 5-year maintenance in No-vember 2011.MR Jan.12 # 3 (18-25):MR Template 1/9/2012 11:58 AM Page 24