Svein Erik Amundsen News

Norwegian shipping company Bergesen plans to replace around 600 European staff members by the end of 2002 to create cost savings worth about $22.4 million a year, company officials said. Bergesen Managing Director Svein Erik Amundsen said despite recent efforts by Norwegian politicians to encourage recruitment to the shipping industry, the company was struggling to find qualified Norwegian seafarers. He said the company was in talks with unions to arrange wage packages to employees who would be forced to quit. Union officials said Bergesen workers had not yet accepted the company's proposal. They said the union had offered its members legal assistance in an effort to fight for improved wage packages. About 3,800 seafarers currently work onboard Bergesen vessels.

Norway's Statoil is considering options for its loss-making shipping arm Navion, including selling the group or divesting some activities such as floating production or drill ships. Navion was formed in 1997 between Statoil, which holds 80 percent, and Norwegian shipping firm Rasmussen. Assets include around 12 shuttle tankers, a crude oil storage vessel, two production vessels and a drilling ship. Statoil has stated from the outset that it wanted to reduce its stake in Navion. But attempts to find a third party to join the Statoil-Rasmussen partnership were thwarted by poor tanker markets, weak oil prices, delays to oil project start ups and huge cost overruns to build the Navion I drilling ship. "Now we have a more pragmatic approach.

Tractebel LNG North America LLC, operator of the United States' first LNG import terminal in Everett, Massachusetts, and Bergesen, based in Oslo, Norway, announced the launch of Berge Everett, a new 138,000 cubic meter liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier that will begin making deliveries for Tractebel under an exclusive, long-term charter. Tractebel LNG North America ("TLNGNA") will use the vessel to transport LNG primarily from Trinidad to the company's Everett LNG receiving terminal, to the EcoElectrica facility in Puerto Rico, and to other LNG facilities in the Atlantic Basin. Constructed at the Daewoo Shipbuilding Yard in South Korea, the Berge Everett is 100% owned by Bergesen.

accept the offer from World Nordic Aps to buy all shares of Bergesen. registered as shareholders as of 24 April 2003. paid on May 14 2003. On 7 April 2003 World Nordic ApS, a Danish limited company controlled by the Sohmen family, announced a mandatory cash offer for the A- and B-shares of Bergesen d.y. ASA (“Bergesen”). On 6 April 2003, World Nordic ApS entered into an agreement with Petter C. G. Sundt and Morten Sig. Bergesen to acquire their shares in Bergesen, in aggregate 16,575,106 A-shares. The price was NOK 180 per share, and included the proposed dividend of NOK 7 per share. capital of Bergesen. Pursuant to the Securities Trading Act Section 4-16, the Board of Directors of Bergesen shall make a statement regarding the offer.