Bergen Group News

Norwegian firm Endúr said this week its subsidiary BMO Entreprenør has won a large ferry quay contract with Vestland county in Western Norway. The contract has a value of NOK 40 million (USD 4.44 million).Endúr, a company with activities within aquaculture, marine infrastructure, maritime services and energy, announced the acquisition of BMO Entreprenør in October. The company is a provider of maintenance and rehabilitation services for marine infrastructure projects in Norway. The company has now signed a ferry quay contract with Vestland county.

Norway's Bergen Group has appointed Nils Hoff as its new CEO and Morten Riiser as CFO, effective Thursday.Hoff succeeds Torgeir Nærø, who has resigned as CEO to pursue other opportunities. The outgoing cheif executive will take on an advisory position until the end of Q1 2019.Bergen Group ASA board chairman Hans Petter Eikeland considers the change a natural consequence of the upcoming merger with Stavanger-based oil service company Endùr Holding AS (owner of Endùr Fabricom AS).

A merger agreement between Bergen Group ASA and oil service company Endúr Fabricom will create an industrial group based in western Norway with close to 400 employees and an order book exceeding NOK 1 billion. The combined company will have considerable presence in both the oil and gas markets, in maritime service and towards the aquaculture industry.Hans Petter Eikeland, Chairman of the Board at Bergen Group ASA, states that the merger agreement has full support from the company's main shareholders…

Bergen Group has reached an agreement with Semco Maritime on sale of the rig service activity and with Hellik Teigen AS for sale of the real estate at Hanøytangen. The parties have agreed to uphold the sales price of NOK 245 million, as set out in the agreement which was terminated two weeks ago. The transaction, expected to close by the end of today, will see Semco Maritime take over operational activities at Hanøytangen. Bergen Group ASA announced the termination of the sale agreements on May 4…

The Bergen Group has decided to terminate a sales agreement that would see Semco Maritime acquire its rig service yard facilities at Hanøytangen. The real estate and the rig service activity at Hanøytangen will continue to be under the Bergen Group's ownership. According to Semco Maritime, the transaction, initially announced on April 13, 2015, was subject to final closing no later than April 30, but ran into “unforeseen issues” which caused the Bergen Group to cancel the deal.

Bergen Group has decided to divest the company’s activity at Hanøytangen. Sale agreements have been concluded with Semco Maritime for the operational activity and with Hellik Teigen AS for the real estate. The total transaction price is set to NOK 245 million. According to the Bergen Group, the industrial area at Hanøytangen outside Bergen has for many years been an important facility for its offshore division, but going forward the group has found a divestment necessary to strengthen the platform for further growth at Hanøytangen.

The new compressor in operation on the Kvitebjørn field in the North Sea from 17 September will increase production there by 220 million barrels of oil equivalent and extend the field’s lifetime with eight years. The compressor will help boost recovery rate and accelerate production on the Kvitebjørn field. The new compressor contributes to an increase in the recovery rate at the Kvitebjørn field from 55% to 70%. “These are very profitable barrels, which make a considerable contribution to wealth creation on the Norwegian continental shelf.

Bergen Group ASA announced it has signed an agreement with Calexco S.a.r.l. regarding sale of the remaining 30 % shares in NorYards AS for a price of $4 million. The completion of the transaction is expected to take place by end of August 2014, thus facilitating the group’s departure from its shipbuilding interests. The sale of the minority ownership in NorYards AS (former Bergen Group's Shipbuilding Division) will generate an accounting loss to be incorporated in the Bergen Group’s figures for Q2 2014, the company said.

On Saturday July 26, 2014, a ceremony was held in Bergen to officially name the latest new subsea construction vessel to join the Technip fleet, the North Sea Atlantic. More than 200 guests from shipowner North Sea Shipping, ship charterer Technip and supply chain partners, gathered to attend the ceremony held at the NorYards BMV AS shipyard (previously Bergen Group) in Laksevåg, Bergen, Norway. The event was hosted by North Sea Shipping CEO, Hallvard Klepsvik, and his wife, Sigrid Anne Våge, acted as the vessel godmother. Technip announced in 2012 that it had signed a long term charter agreement with North Sea Shipping for an advanced new build construction vessel.

Bergen Group says it has decided to accelerate the process of reducing its involvement in the shipbuilding business in favor of a more dedicated focus on offshore related activities. As a part of this process, Bergen explains it has entered into an agreement to sell two of the remaining shipbuilding projects to the shipyard group Kleven located in Sunnmøre, Norway. The sale will release approximately NOK 80-90 million in already invested working capital in these two projects.

Norway-based shipping company Fjord Line’s Stavangerfjord represents a new-generation of advanced and environmentally friendly Cruise Passenger Ferry with outstanding passenger facilities in order to operate both as a day and night ferry. The vessel is built to provide passengers with pleasant experiences, even under the harsh weather conditions of the North Sea. A modern and flexible interior design provides a capacity for 1,500 passengers (1,200 passenger during winter), and a total of 306 cabins on two decks provide first class accommodation and a variety of restaurants…

Henning Nordgulen has been appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of shipbuilders & offshore service providers Bergen Group ASA. Bergen CEO Asle Solheim said he was very pleased that Nordgulen had accepted the engagement: “Mr. Nordgulen has a comprehensive background from leading positions in finance, shipping and industry. Henning Nordgulen (48) has for the last seven years been Director of the corporate division and a member of the corporate management team in Sparebanken Vest.

Last year Bergen’s Norwegian Electric Systems (NES) made a bold claim. The designer and manufacturer of diesel electric and hybrid electric systems for the maritime sector, established in 2009 and already past NOK 1 billion in sales revenues ($171m), revealed that it had produced the largest ever low voltage marine diesel electric system. The 690v 60Hz system was created for the 125m long, 7,500 dwt OSV Grand Canyon (pictured), released from Bergen Group’s Fosen yard to owner Volstad Management in October 2012.

The weather might be depressing, but the outlook for the city is anything but. Bergen’s shipping industry and maritime related services sectors are going from strength to strength, bullishly rebutting the worst of the waves caused by the ongoing global financial crisis. The secret, locals argue, is a long-term industry view, the strength and diversity of the maritime cluster and the fact that Bergen blood is very much thicker than water. Maritime Reporter goes native to investigate. Rain, mountains and fjords: The three things that spring most readily to mind when the name Bergen is mentioned.

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, secured its third identical offshore crane contract for Volstad Maritime AS series of 125m offshore construction vessels being built by Bergen Group Fosen shipyard in Norway. The order is booked in the first quarter 2013 order intake. Two more active heave-compensated (AHC) MacGregor offshore cranes have been ordered for hull 091, the third in a run of 125m-long offshore construction vessels (OCVs) for Volstad Maritime AS. The vessel is part of a series…

Immediately after the naming ceremony, Atlantic Offshore's 'MRV Ocean Response' heads to North Sea on Statoil charter. This is the third Emergency Response and Rescue Vessel (ERRV) newbuilding delivered to Atlantic Offshore during the past year, with six more vessels under construction at several shipyards. Atlantic Offshore has gradually taken a strong international position in the market for emergency vessels and supply vessels and these ships are equipped with the latest technology, and contingency services related to fire, oil spill and rescue operations.

Noreq AS has acquired the Icelandic company Bergen Group Idntækni, which it will rename Alu1. Idntækni is a technology-based company with a work force of highly qualified engineers. The company is specialized within the aluminum industry, and is known for its consultative work as well as its own products. Idntækni has been in operation for nearly 25 years, and was formerly owned by Bergen Group Technology. The group behind Alu1 has experience within the aluminum industry and its goals are high for further product development and growth on Iceland. The shareholders are also planning to take advantage of the Icelandic personnel for ongoing projects in Norway. Due to lack of engineers in Norway, this acquisition comes at the right time.

Kvaerner has established an engineering office in Trondheim. The establishment will increase Kvaerner's capacity and competence to meet the future activities, and it is part of the company's jacket strategy in the oil and gas industry. Being close to the technology and research communities in the city, as well as the yard in Verdal, make Trondheim an attractive location for establishment and expansion. Trondheim is often referred to as the "technology capital." NTNU and Sintef hold much of the credit for this. The Norwegian University of Science and Technology educates around 80 percent of all engineers in Norway. "The market prospects are good, and the Verdal yard has for the past years invested in increased capacity.

Volstad Maritime returns for repeat offshore crane contract from Cargotec. Following on from an order in April last year, Cargotec has won a contract for two active heave-compensated (AHC) offshore cranes from the privately-owned Norwegian specialist operator, Volstad Maritime. The two cranes, a 250-tonne MacGregor AHC subsea crane and a 15-tonne MacGregor AHC offshore crane, will be fitted to Volstad's new offshore construction vessel (OCV) on order at Bergen Group Fosen shipyard in Norway.

Bergen Group Dreggen has signed an agreement with the Brazilian industrial player Koch Metalúrgica with regard to strategic cooperation involving development and production of offshore cranes to the growing Brazilian oil and gas industry. The cooperation opens up great opportunities in one of the world’s most vibrant and demanding oil and gas markets. “The agreement with Koch Metalúrgica is strengthening our position in this market without being dependent on investments or a demanding establishing period. The goal is that we together can position ourselves as a major supplier of offshore cranes in Brazil,” said Halldor Rongve, Managing Director of Bergen Group Dreggen.

The ship was delivered in March this year, while her sister vessel will be delivered later this month. “To be nominated, the ship must be delivered during 2012, but the degree of innovation is the main criterion to win the the award,” says Asle Strønen, member of the jury. The purpose of the Award is to honour innovation and development in ship building, operation and ownership, and to contribute to positive attention nationally and internationally in an industry that is very important for Norway as a nation.

Technip enters a long-term charter agreement with North Sea Shipping for a 2014 new-build offshore construction vessel to be built at Bergen Group BMV AS in Bergen, Norway, and delivered in 2014. The charter will be for a period of five or seven years commitment plus a five-year extension option, with a further option to purchase the vessel. The vessel is specially designed and equipped to suit the Norwegian installation market. This advanced subsea construction vessel has a length of 142 meters and width of 27 meters, and is equipped with a 400-ton crane and a 2,000-ton carousel for storage of flexible pipe below deck. The new vessel’s design specification meets the highest requirements for subsea work and although it will work predominantly in the North Sea…

Rolls-Royce signed a contract with ship owner Fjord Line A/S to install LNG based power and propulsion systems in two cruise ferries being built at the Bergen Group Fosen AS yard in Norway. Each vessel will be equipped with four gas engines, powering a highly efficient Promas integrated rudder and propeller propulsion system. The gas-only fuelled engines will reduce Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions by about 90 percent while Sulphur Oxide (SOx) and particulates emissions will be negligible.