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How can Norway secure sufficient maritime competence as technology develops rapidly and competition for skilled labour intensifies? This was a key question when Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy Marianne Sivertsen Næss met with the maritime industry in Trondheim to gather input for the Norwegian Government’s new maritime strategy.

The meeting was organised by Maritimt Forum on 20 August, bringing together representatives from shipping companies, the maritime supply industry, research and education institutions, and employee organisations. Recruitment and competence were the main themes, while autonomy, new technology, the green transition, defence, security and preparedness were also important topics.

Fride Solbakken, CEO of Maritimt Forum, welcomed the participants, while Ellen Weidemann from Maritimt Forum Midt-Norge chaired the meeting.

Before the meeting at Sealab in Brattørkaia, the minister visited NTNU’s research vessel Gunnerus at Pir 2, where she was given a presentation and tour by Inger Jennings from NTNU.

Marianne Sivertsen Næss was given a presentation of NTNU’s research vessel Gunnerus by Inger Jennings from NTNU. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri

From Gunnerus to maritime technology

The visit demonstrated how research, education and technology development come together in the maritime sector. Gunnerus is used for research, teaching and as a test platform for new technology, including robots, drones and advanced sensor systems.

Students work with real-world datasets and challenges from maritime operations, providing a practical example of the competence the industry needs: people who understand both the technology and the maritime operations in which it is applied.

The minister showed considerable interest in the technology and competence environments presented during the visit.

 NTNU’s research vessel Gunnerus. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri

“Competence and recruitment are our biggest challenges”

Kristin Bugten Alsaker, HR Manager at Berge Rederi/Transmar, highlighted recruitment and competence as among the maritime industry’s biggest challenges.

Berge Rederi is preparing to take delivery of BRF Froan, a new battery-electric bulk carrier. The development of increasingly advanced vessels is also creating new competence requirements for crews.

“Competence and recruitment are our biggest challenges,” said Alsaker.

Kristin Bugten Alsaker, HR Manager at Berge Rederi/Transmar and Arne Fredheim, SINTEF Ocean. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri

At the same time, the discussion underlined that new technology does not make seamanship and domain knowledge less important.

“The research frontier is now moving towards fully robotised organisations, but that is not realistic at full scale in the foreseeable future. Seamanship and the domain knowledge people carry in their heads will remain the most important.”

Fride Solbakken, CEO Maritimt Forum, Marianne Sivertsen Næss, Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy and Reidun Svarva, Head of Business Development in Torghatten. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri

Technology also depends on fundamental expertise

Ketil Aagesen from Siemens Energy noted that the company has around 400 employees in Trondheim and works closely with NTNU and SINTEF.

He emphasised the importance of maintaining strong technology environments and industrial activity in Norway.

“If we are to continue doing this without moving activity to other parts of the world, we need that connection,” said Aagesen.

He also cautioned that the attention given to artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies must not come at the expense of the fundamental technologies on which further development depends.

Ketil Aagesen, Global Head of Project Development and Sales, Siemens Energy. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri

Education and research must be connected to industry

Bjørn Egil Asbjørnslett from NTNU highlighted the university’s role in educating both operational personnel and technology and systems specialists.

“We provide substantial education both for operational personnel and for technology and systems specialists within maritime and marine engineering disciplines,” said Asbjørnslett.

Bjørn Egil Asbjørnslett, Director NTNU Ocean and Coast and Mariell Ulla Toven, head of Business Development and Strategy, ScaleAQ, Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri

Arne Fredheim from SINTEF Ocean highlighted the Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre as an important arena for collaboration between research, education and industry.

“The Ocean Technology Centre is to become a world-leading marine research and education centre, but perhaps equally important, an innovation system where NTNU, SINTEF, industry and other users develop solutions together.”

He also stressed the importance of ensuring that smaller companies have access to the infrastructure needed to test and develop new solutions.

Arne Fredheim, SINTEF Ocean and Bjørn Egil Asbjørnslett, NTNU. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri

Sverre Steen, Head of the Department of Marine Technology at NTNU, and Eirik Sivertsen, Deputy Head of the Maritime AI Centre, also contributed perspectives on education, research and developments in artificial intelligence in the maritime sector.

Eirik Sivertsen, Deputy Head of the Maritime AI Centre. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri

Autonomy and defence high on the agenda

The technology discussions extended beyond efficiency and the green transition. Autonomy, defence, security and preparedness were important themes at the meeting, underlining the growing connection between the maritime and defence sectors.

Vegard Evjen Hovstein, CEO and co-founder of Maritime Robotics, presented the company’s work with autonomous and unmanned maritime systems and its growing relevance to the defence market. He emphasised the importance of Norway itself acting as a customer and reference market for technology developed by Norwegian companies.

“It is a paradox that, as a leading autonomy and research environment, we do not have our own state as a larger customer,” said Hovstein.

Vegard Evjen Hovstein, CEO and co-founder of Maritime Robotics. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri

The discussion highlighted how maritime technology is increasingly relevant to defence and national preparedness, including through autonomous systems, sensors and unmanned platforms.

For Norway, this creates opportunities to build on capabilities developed in the maritime sector and apply them across both civilian and defence-related domains.

Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy Marianne Sivertsen Næss listened with keen interest as representatives from the maritime industry shared their input and perspectives on competence, technology, autonomy and defence. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri

A broad need for competence

The meeting brought together a broad range of industry perspectives. Arild Petter Nubdal, CEO of Moen Verft, represented the shipbuilding and maritime supply industry. Frøygruppen represented the aquaculture sector, while Simon Møkster Shipping and the Norwegian Officers’ and Engineers’ Association contributed perspectives from offshore operations and the workforce.

Together, the participants demonstrated the breadth of competence required across the maritime sector – from skilled workers and seafarers to engineers, technologists, researchers and other specialists.

Competition for skilled labour is taking place across the Norwegian economy. Making maritime education and careers attractive to younger generations is therefore an important part of the challenge.

Ketil Aagesen, Global Head of Project Development and Sales, Siemens Energy and Arild Petter Nubdal, CEO of Moen Verft. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri

A maritime strategy with implications beyond shipping

The minister emphasised that input from industry is important to the development of the new maritime strategy and invited written submissions following the meeting.

The discussions in Trondheim demonstrated that the strategy must take a broad perspective. Maritime technology and competence are important not only to shipping, but also to aquaculture, fisheries, offshore operations and offshore wind and increasingly to defence, security and national preparedness.

NTNU’s research vessel Gunnerus. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri

The meeting also highlighted the strategic value of Norway’s maritime technology and industrial base. Autonomy, unmanned systems, sensors and other technologies developed for maritime applications can contribute to both commercial innovation and national security.

For Norway to maintain its strong maritime position, continued investment in research, technology development and competence will be essential.

New technology is changing how the maritime industry operates. But the need for people who can combine technology with maritime experience, domain knowledge and operational understanding is not diminishing. It is becoming more important.