Chinese want multi-million deals with maritime sector

SalmonSalmon.Photo: Norway Today Media

Chinese business people wants to enter into multi-million agreements with Norwegian maritime companies

On Monday, a number of Norwegian fisheries, shipping and farming businesses will meet Chinese business bosses to sign deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

 

In addition to business agreements, the province of Zhejiang, and Nordland county municipality, as well as the region of Zhoushan, and the regional councils in Lofoten and Vesterålen will enter into formal cooperation agreements.

While the latter agreement is new, Zhejiang and Nordland had a cooperation agreement already in place by 2009. However, the deal was put on ice after Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.

‘But we kept in touch, and have sent greetings each year to show that we were following developments. After the agreement recently entered into by Erna Solberg, we resurrected the former agreement, said communications manager, Geir Johnsen, of the county of Nordland to NTB news agency.

Dialogue was resumed after the Chinese ambassador visited Bodø in June, and it has already garnered specific agreements between Norwegian and Chinese seafood companies.

Among other things, Ståle Nilsen Seafood AS, and Bergen-based Front Marine will sign contracts for working together to deliver thousands of tons of fish to Zhoushan Aquatic products.

A total of NOK 2 billion

‘The agreement deals with the Chinese buyers intention to purchase approximately 10,000 tonnes of salmon and cod, roughly estimated at a value of 500 million kroner each year,’ said sales manager, Yi Guan, of Front Marine to NTB news agency.

Skipskompetanse, Selstad AS, and Thomas P. Ness AS, will also enter into agreements with the Chinese, in addition to the salmon farm, Cermaq, which has facilities in Nordland and Finnmark.

In total, all the business agreements could be worth approximately 2 billion kroner, and it’s expected that many of the arrangements will create more over a period of time, according to NRK news.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today