Among the invited guests were the Minister of Trade and Shipping in 1987, Mr. Kurt Mosbakk, Bergen City Council Leader Ms. Monica Meland, representatives of the industry, the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the staff at the registry.
From the left: City Council Leader Ms. Monica Meland, Head of Department of Ship Registration Ms. Anita Malmedal and the Director General of Shipping and Navigation Mr. Olav Akselsen.
The establishment of the NIS has, without doubt, been very important both for Bergen and Norway as a seafaring nation.
Backgroud
The register was established on 1 July 1987 in order to ensure that Norwegian ships sailed under the Norwegian flag. The competitive terms for the Norwegian-registered ships engaged in foreign trade were to be improved and the employment of Norwegian sailors maintained.
The Government’s proposal for a Norwegian international ship register was also based on the benefits that would follow in its wake, both for the maritime cluster and the community as a whole.
Increased foreign exchange and tax revenues and a larger fleet would provide an increased domestic market for Norwegian maritime goods, services and expertise. The goal was to make Norway a world leader in terms of maritime services.
At Christmas time in 1986 the Government declared that the work of establishing a Norwegian international ship register had started. Almost immediately, a number of the country's maritime cities were suggested as possible “home ports” to the register. Among them were solid maritime cities like Grimstad, Arendal and Sandefjord. Shipping Forum Bergen and Bergen Shipowners' Association fought for the NIS to be placed "in the heart of the coastal and marine Norway". The City Manager of Bergen was on their side and all promotional work came up with positive results when the Norwegian Parliament on 12 June chose Bergen as location for the new register.
While Mr. Kurt Mosbakk, the Minister of Trade and Shipping at the time, officially opened the register, shipowners fought to have the first ship registered. Through contacts, Mr. Atle Jebsen’s representative had been admitted to the courthouse in the middle of the night and was, therefore, able to register the first ship in the name of Sapco Overseas SA, Panama. The first year the NIS was the fastest growing ship register in the world.
On 1 January 2012 the Norwegian Ship Registers NIS/NOR were merged with the Norwegian Maritime Directorate to form the new Norwegian Maritime Authority.
The new administration will continue to provide the good service that characterizes the NIS, an element in securing the NIS as a competitive register.
Greetings
Several of the approximately 68 guests took the opportunity to bring forth their congratulations.
Mr. Atle Thowsen, former Director of Bergen Maritime Museum, guided us through a historical retrospective of Norwegian shipping from 1854 until the establishment of the Norwegian International Ship Register. Mr. Kurt Mosbakk described the precarious situation of the Norwegian merchant fleet which led to the swift creation of the new register. Mr. Mosbakk also pointed out that it is very rare that political decisions such as the creation of the NIS are being celebrated.
The Norwegian Shipowners' Association, represented by Vice President Jørgen Vatne, pleased the register’s staff by sharing their positive experiences and feedback on the services provided. He also pointed out that the parliament’s decision to establish a Norwegian international register was correct and effective in ending the flagging-out that took place in the 1980s. Norway is now home to one of the most complete maritime clusters in the world. Senior Vice President of Odfjell SE, Mr. Helge Olsen, confided that they primarily use two flags for their ships, Singapore and the NIS. - Singapore is known as one of the most efficient registries in the world. NIS is at least as good, says Olsen. Extra enjoyable was the confirmation that the company just decided to order two LNG ships and that the choice of flag was easy. NIS.