University Of Bergen News

The industry consortium behind the Ocean Charger project, led by Vard, has completed the demonstration of the charging solution in a port as well the connection solution offshore, proving the technology designed to supply clean power to offshore wind vessels is ready for the market.By connecting vessels to the power grid in the wind farm and charging batteries regularly, the Ocean Charger solution is securing availability of emission-free vessel operations.The Ocean Charger has proved through the tests that it can power operations at the field without using any additional energy sources…

A project aimed developing a solution to charge offshore vessels' batteries in the offshore wind farms was officially launched at a kick-off ceremony in Ålesund, Norway on Thursday.The project, called the Ocean Charger will be lead by Vard, with its sister companies Seaonics and Vard Electro, and partners Rem Offshore, Solstad Offshore, SINTEF Energi, SINTEF Ocean, DigiCat, Sustainable Energy, Equinor, Source Galileo Norge, Corvus Energy, Plug, Shoreline, Sustainable Energy, University of Bergen…

The Norwegian government awarded Maritime CleanTech partner Vard Group and the Ocean Charger project partners 38 million NOK (approx. US$3.9 million) for the development of offshore charging solutions that would support zero-emissions operations at offshore wind farms.The Norwegian support scheme (The Green Platform Initiative) aims to accelerate the growth of green businesses in Norway. Today, Norwegian Minister of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Jan Christian Vestre, launched the new project at a press conference in Oslo.

Marine minerals are coming under sharp focus offshore Norway. Analysts suggest it could be a $20 billion annual revenue industry by 2050, which is why many are taking an interest and developing the technology to make it happen. Marine mineral mining has been something of a slow burner in the wider marine world. It has some clear challenges, not least location and depth of these potential resources, but also concerns around its environmental impact.Yet it now appears to be coming into a distinctly sharp focus…

Norway's oil and gas reserves have made it one of the world's wealthiest countries but its dreams for deep-sea discovery now center on something different.This time, Oslo is looking for a leading role in mining copper, zinc, and other metals found on the seabed and in hot demand in green technologies.Norway could license companies for deep-sea mining as early as 2023, its oil and energy ministry told Reuters, potentially placing it among the first countries to harvest seabed metals for electric vehicle batteries…

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) announced that it has just completed a successful data acquisition expedition on the Mohns Ridge in the north-western Norwegian Sea, using the Seabed Constructor vessel.According to the Norwegian government agency responsible for the regulation of the petroleum resources on the Norwegian continental shelf, during the four-week expedition, the NPD has made several discoveries of previously unknown sulphide deposits, and collected data covering large areas. These deposits include metals and minerals that are important in battery technology, wind turbines and mobile telephones.The Mohns Ridge is an oceanic spreading ridge that separates two tectonic plates…

The extent of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles outside Bouvet Island has now been clarified with the Continental Shelf Commission (CSC) in New York.The Commission’s recommendation is in line with Norway’s proposal submitted to the Commission in 2009 and revised in 2015.According to a press note from Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the work on the shelf proposal.NPD, which is the State’s authority charged with geotechnical mapping of the continental shelf, has been responsible for preparing the technical and scientific documentation required by the UN Convention on Law of the Sea.

The European ARBAHEAT consortium will start a research project to investigate the conversion of the ENGIE Ultra-SuperCritical coal-fired Rotterdam power plant into a biomass-fired heat and power plant this month.The innovative technology used to produce the required steam treated biomass has been developed by the Norwegian company Arbaflame AS.Goal of this showcase is to investigate the technical possibilities of cost-effectively converting the coal-fired power plant into a flexible 100% sustainable biomass fired plant, which will be able to deliver sustainable electricity as well as sustainable heat. For this project the consortium…

Winter sea ice on the Arctic Ocean covered the second smallest area on record this year, part of a thaw that is opening the region to shipping and oil exploration and may be disrupting weather far to the south, scientists said on Friday. The extent of floating ice likely reached an annual maximum of 14.5 million square kilometers (5.6 million square miles) on March 17, fractionally bigger than a record set in 2017, the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) said. Sea ice around the North Pole freezes to its biggest at the end of the winter in March…

Arctic sea ice may vanish in summers this century even if governments achieve a core target for limiting global warming set by almost 200 nations in 2015, scientists said on Monday. Arctic sea ice has been shrinking steadily in recent decades, damaging the livelihoods of indigenous peoples and wildlife such as polar bears while opening the region to more shipping and oil and gas exploration. Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, governments set a goal of limiting the rise in average world temperatures to well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times…

Henrik O. DNV GL president and CEO Henrik O. Madsen was appointed as chairman of the executive board of the Research Council of Norway. The executive board is the Research Council’s highest authority, and the newly appointed board will commence Jan 1. 2015. The main functions of the Research Council of Norway is to provide strategic policy input, administer research funding and serve as a meeting place for the development of research policy and dissemination of knowledge in Norway.

Bergen, Norway – May 20, 2014 – A newly established research center on Norway’s west coast hopes to improve subsea operation and maintenance by bringing risk management into real time. Integrated Well and Subsea Instrumentation (IWSI) is the latest development from independent technology research institute Christian Michelsen Research AS (CMR), which aims to establish an arena for subsea and well instrumentation research and development to find real time risk management solutions for reduced cost and improved safety – on the Norwegian continental shelf and internationally. Working in collaboration with the University of Bergen, University of Stavanger…

Elisabeth Tørstad has been appointed CEO in DNV GL - Oil & Gas. She took on the role from January 2014, operating from the company’s Oil & Gas headquarter in Oslo. “I am very pleased to announce that Elisabeth Tørstad has accepted this role. Her background, career and experience match very well with the opportunities that lie ahead for DNV GL’s Oil & Gas business,” says Henrik O. Madsen, DNV GL Group President & CEO. “The oil and gas industry is facing rapid changes and increased public scrutiny on its safety and environmental performance. At DNV GL we have high ambitions for our oil and gas services and 5.500 experts in 37 countries working on a daily basis to drive this industry to become safer, smarter and greener.

Calecore opened office in Stavanger, Norway. The office is located on the quayside in the city centre with many of Calecore´s Oil and Gas clients within easy walking distance. In addition to serving as a meeting facility for clients, the office will also serve the crucial role of local presence to further strengthen Calecore´s position in the Norwegian market and involvement in the push towards the Barents Sea and the Arctic. “After completing a number of highly successful Norwegian contracts in 2012…

The Hanseatic trading city of Bergen, on the edge of the Norwegian North Sea, has a long maritime tradition. From shipping to aquaculture to offshore oil and gas, this is a city whose economic identity is defined by its ties to the sea. The city is by far Norway´s largest port, with more than 13 million metric tonnes of cargo transported to and from Bergen in 2010. Bergen is also the country´s largest center for aquaculture and marine science research, and is home to the Institute of Marine Research and an active marine science research centre at the University of Bergen.

TDW Offshore Services AS announced the appointment of Helene Torjusen to the position of Marketing Manager. In her new role, Torjusen contributes to the TDW Offshore Services web site, and supports all marketing communications activities, including advertising, events, media relations, and production of sales literature. Torjusen’s primary aim is to heighten global awareness of the company’s capabilities and experience in the pipeline services sector. “Our global media outreach program…

Northrop Grumman Corporation's Sperry Marine business unit has been selected to supply a state-of-the-art navigation and communication systems for the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (IMR) and University of Bergen's new fisheries research ship in Norway, the G.O. Sars, which is named after a renowned Norwegian marine biologist. X- and S-Band BridgeMaster E 340 ARPA radars, ADG4000 self-tuning autopilot, dual SR2100 fiber optic gyrocompasses, repeaters and steering indicators, and a full A4 GMDSS communications package. The IBS consists of three workstations, which can be configured to display radar, ECDIS or conning information. The 3,800 gross ton vessel, being built at the Flekkefjord Slip & Mek shipyard, is scheduled to enter service in early 2003.