Director General Olav Akselsen of the NMA exchanges gifts with President Ick-Soo Mok of the Korea Ship Safety Technology Authority when meeting in Haugesund, Norway.
The initiative took form during a visit to Norway by the Korea Ship Safety Technology Authority (KST) last week. Norways Director General of Shipping and Navigation, Mr. Olav Akselsen, welcomed the President of KST, Mr. Ick-Soo Mok, and his team of staff members.
South Korea's maritime safety record has been shaken by several major accidents the past few years, with two passenger ferry disasters alone accounting for loss of approximately 700 lives. The South Korean delegation wished to delve into Norwegian regulations on maritime safety on board passenger and fishing vessels. Norway has a solid foundation of regulations and best practice in maritime safety, and the Norwegian Maritime Authority is willing to share these practices. Norway also has extensive experience in the use of greener fuels like Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) and the accompanying maritime regulations governing the use of alternative fuels and propulsion methods.
A bilateral Memorandum of Understanding between Norway and South-Korea will focus on both maritime safety for passenger ships and fishing vessels along with development guidelines on a greener maritime sector.
- The Norwegian maritime industry has had a long and productive partnership with South Korea in shipbuilding and outfitting. A further cooperation in the form of a bilateral MoU is a natural development, says Director General Olav Akselsen and Technical Director Lasse Karlsen in the NMA.
A Memorandum of Understanding is a bilateral or mulitlateral agreement between parties. It expresses a common, intended line of action within a defined subject area. A MoU normally is not legally binding, but can be described as a form of "gentlemen's agreement" between parties.