The meeting, which also included state secretaries Liv Lønnum and Rikard Gaarder Knutsen, kickstarted Arendalsuka, a week-long national political and societal meeting place.
At MacGregor Norway’s headquarters, the minister was introduced to Gullknapp Aerial Center, Aersea, Telenor Maritime, Qmatec, Digital Innovation Hub Ocean Technology, GCE NODE and, of course, MacGregor Norway.
“This is an excellent opportunity to meet with representatives of a world-leading supplier industry to the oil and gas and maritime industries. I am pleased to learn that the industry is innovative within their existing markets, but also looking for business opportunities presented by the transfer of technology to other ocean-based industries,” says Freiberg.
“The power of innovation and technology development, showcased by the companies I met today, and others, makes me optimistic with regards to the future,” says Freiberg.
At the meeting, Director R&D and Strategy at MacGregor Norway Eivind Gimming Stensland, presented MacGregor’s innovations within autonomous mooring systems and a 7-axis robotic arm, which will be tested at Mechatronics Innovation Lab this fall.
Torkil Mogstad, Chairman of the Board of Arendal Airport Gullknapp, presented plans for an international test center for drones at the airport located 15 minutes from downtown Arendal.
COO Jan Robert Fiksdal at Aersea gave an introduction in to the world of unmanned aviation, from the smallest drone – a Norwegian-made surveillance drone weighing in at 18 grams! –to larger aircrafts that are designed to transport both goods and people.
“Oil and gas can save up to 90 per cent of inspection cost when implementing drones in inspections,” says Fiksdal.
CTO Knut Fjellheim explained how Telenor Maritime provides connectivity to 25 million people at sea, and CEO Kjell Arild Grønås presented drilling technology designed to tap in to the vast field of geothermal energy.
Anne-Grete Ellingsen, CEO at GCE NODE, laid out plans for Digital Innovation Hub Ocean Technology, the only ocean technology DIH in Europe.
