Alf Tore Sørheim appointed Director General of Shipping and Navigation
On 4 April, Tore Sørheim was appointed by the King as Director General of Shipping and Navigation for a period of six years. The appointment was effective immediately.
APPOINTED BY THE KING: As acting Director General of Shipping and Navigation, Alf Tore Sørheim has been the head of the Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) since March 2024. He started his career at the NMA in 2006, and in 2018 he became a part of the top management as Head of the Department of Operative Supervision.
"The NMA's job is to make sure maritime safety is upheld, and to facilitate development and new sustainable solutions in the maritime sector. The NMA is a key contributor to the work of ensuring that the Norwegian flag is regarded as a quality flag. With Alf Tore Sørheim, the NMA gains a highly qualified leader with extensive knowledge of the maritime sector," says Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy, Marianne Sivertsen Næss.
Maritime background and seagoing service
Sørheim is educated as a navigator at the former Haugesund Maritime Tekniske Høgskole. He has a nautical background and has sailed as a navigator for the Royal Norwegian Navy and on high-speed passenger craft in civil shipping.
"It is a great honour to be given this exciting opportunity, in strong competition with other skilled applicants. I have held this position since April last year, but I have known all along that I was not guaranteed a permanent position. So I guess we can say that my recruitment procedure has been a long one," says the freshly appointed Director General of Shipping and Navigation.
Sørheim leads an agency within a societal area where Norway holds a unique position. The NMA has an important area of responsibility and a broad network of contacts both internationally and in Norway, within the maritime cluster, with employers and employees, and with other governmental authorities.
"In my opinion, the NMA's greatest asset is all the skilled and committed employees within a variety of tasks and responsibilities, ranging from legislative work in the IMO, efforts to improve working and living conditions for seafarers, and work to ensure safe ships and good digital solutions. In addition, we facilitate the use of new green technology and encourage shipowners to choose the Norwegian flag," Sørheim points out.
Motivated for the future
At the same time, the newly appointed Director General of Shipping and Navigation is clear that improvement is necessary, even though the NMA reveives a lot of positive feedback.
"Our new strategic plan points to what we want to achieve in many key areas. We want to strengthen our work on safety and fulfil the vision of zero fatalities or badly injured persons, as well as continuing to focus on the working and living conditions for seafarers, and safe working conditions on board. We will continue to contribute to the move towards more sustainability and to the Norwegian flag remaining world-leading in the years to come."