By
Cherie Rowlands |
Busy, interesting and challenging are the words Trond Kleivdal uses to describe his first year as president of the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association (NSA), following ten years as one of the organisation’s board members.
“As president of the NSA I have had the pleasure to meet with stakeholders and key players, and work to position the NSA and Norwegian shipping activities as a prevailing leading international maritime force,” he says. “First-hand knowledge of the industry is of major importance as president of the NSA.” That knowledge comes from Kleivdal’s position as managing director of Norway’s largest cruise and transport shipping company. Oslo-based Color Line deploys a total of six ships on four routes linking seven ports in four countries – Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Germany. Clearly, industry changes are going to have an effect on all areas of the company’s shipping operations, but focusing on cruise and passenger ferries, what is it that concerns Kleivdal most? “There are two major changes the industry has to prepare for. First, the implementation of the EU sulphur directive. Second, the implementation of the ballast water convention which may come into force shortly.We are prepared for both and we strongly believe that these are two important and crucial changes. Still, there is no doubt that this will be challenging both economically and technically for many in the industry.” The company has started to use more environmentally friendly fuel, has begun to sort its refuse at source and has initiated a number of projects to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. All Color Line ships have started to keep an environmental balance sheet, which details emissions to air as well as discharges to water and to harbours. Color Line is now aiming for certification according to the ISO 14001 environmental standard.
Another area that Kleivdal believes needs looking at more closely includes the restrictions imposed by the Norwegian International Ship (NIS) registry. He says: “I would like so see a change in the distance constraints within the Norwegian International Ship (NIS) registry. NIS is the only ship registry in the world that bans its own national vessels from operating in their own waters. This stops the industry from choosing NIS, which impacts on shipping activities.”
With regard to the future, what is Kleivdal’s vision for the NSA in the next 12 months? “This spring, the political parties have their congresses. There will be parliamentary elections in September. NSA`s goal is that our work towards government, parliamentary groups, local key players and representatives is bearing fruit so we can secure our members framework conditions for the future. Hopefully, the members of NSA are even more pleased to be part of our organisation because of our impact since we stand together and are much stronger than we are individually.”