Sunnmøre press tour showcases innovative cluster for international maritime media

The whistlestop tour, hosted by leading Oslo-based Nordic PR and communications agency Blue-C, encompassed a diverse array of 12 cluster companies during visits to Ålesund, Ulsteinvik and Søviknes, with participation by editors from leading international publications including TradeWinds, Lloyd’s List, Seatrade Maritime News and The Motorship.

“It was great to be back in Sunnmøre for the latest press trip that has been a regular annual fixture in the Blue-C calendar for over a decade. We received lots of positive feedback from journalists on the high quality of the presentations that highlighted exciting innovations, breakthrough technologies and new vessel concepts,” said Blue-C's Press Relations Manager Christina Dupré Roos.

Introductory sessions with DNV Maritime and NTNU underlined the cluster’s importance as a crucible of technological development, with updates on the progress of nuclear propulsion and significant advances in vessel autonomy. These were followed by presentations from maritime reporting specialist Metizoft with Powersave, diversified steelmaker Bauta Group, waste heat recovery player Ulmatec Thermal Solutions and digital fleet platform Dipai.

A highlight for journalists was a ‘gaming experience’ at propulsion specialist Brunvoll where they tried their hand at manoeuvring a virtual SOV with its game-changing BruCon dynamic positioning system using a joystick-controlled simulator.

The whirlwind itinerary featured interesting visits to cornerstone shipbuilders Ulstein Group and Fincantieri’s Vard Group that showcased their strong competence in design, construction and system integration of advanced specialized vessels in sectors including offshore energy and expedition cruise.

Olympic Subsea’s CEO Stig Remøy presented the shipowner’s ambitious investments in four state-of-the-art CSOV newbuilds that have set a new standard in energy efficiency, demonstrating how innovative low-carbon vessel concepts are being birthed from the collective expertise of the cluster’s 195 companies including shipbuilders, equipment manufacturers and service providers.

Among these are leading technology players like Kongsberg Maritime that is developing advanced solutions in areas such as propulsion, automation, energy and control systems for a new generation of eco-friendly, remotely-operated and autonomous vessels.

The tour was a veritable smorgasbord of delights for content-hungry journalists, leading one to comment: 

 “This is an invaluable opportunity to gain in-depth insight and facetime with key players – all this with amazing scenery and great hospitality too!”

Blue-C's Christina Dupré Roos said: 

 “There were valuable interview opportunities, tech interactions as well as onboard visits to newbuilds, building media connections for companies and providing unique insights for content generation. And next year’s tour will be even more exciting!”

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