Our partner companies gained much attention for their clean maritime solutions when visiting USA and Canada in January.
Norway share ambitious goals for emission reductions with the states in The Pacific Northwest and our cluster continuously builds stronger relations for new business opportunities and R&D collaboration abroad.
The Global Growth program, perfectly hosted by Innovation Norway, have opened important doors for our participating cluster companies. Our delegates had several promising meetings with important industry and R&D stakeholders in the regions of Vancouver and Seattle.
Flying high in Canada
In Vancouver we met representatives from the Canadian cleantech sector, including Ballard and The Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Association. We also had a joint seminar with BC Hydro (the utility) and Port of Vancouver, one of the largest ports in the world. Important knowledge was shared and discussed on environmental-friendly technologies and possibilities for electrification.
BC Ferries
, one of the largest ferry operators in the world, was our next stop. An interesting journey with one of their largest passenger ferries, including a roundtrip from the bridge to the machine room, took us to Vancouver Island and their headquarters in Victoria. Here we got introduced to the operator’s plans for new vessels, and our member companies presented Norwegian solutions for low and zero emission operations. We also met with the provincial government regarding their plans for renewing their ferry fleet.
Important meetings ended with a truly maritime experience for our delegation: A seaplane returned our delegation back to the Vancouver harbour.
New cluster collaboration in Washington
Washington state recently launched their new, ambitious strategy for the maritime sector: MaritimeBlue. One of the initial actions has been to establish a cluster organisation, like our Norwegian model.
At a joint seminar at DNV GLs premises in Seattle, we met several companies taking part in this new cluster. They were all eager to hear about our collaboration on new innovations in Norway, and the delegates from both clusters had a lot of common challenges and opportunities to discuss. A true cluster-to-cluster-collaboration beyond borders!
In Washington we also met representatives from the impressive maritime industry in Anacortes. The state focuses on strengthening their maritime learning facilities, and we got to learn more about the important work done at The Marine Tech Center and Seattle Maritime Academy.
Go global with NCE Maritime CleanTech
Westcon Power & Automation, Valhall NGP, CFD Marine, Norwegian Electric Systems, Servogear and Western Norway University of Applied Sciences all participated in our delegation to Seattle and Vancouver.
NCE Maritime CleanTech sees great potential to streghten our cooperation with The Pacific Northwest, both through new business relations with our member companies and joint international development projects.
Internationalisation is a strategic priority within our cluster activities. This year we will have several delegations and meetings abroad, as well as activities at the most industry-important events. Please Send e-post if you want more information.