The Italian-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce, chaired by Lawyer Gian Luca Congeddu, has awarded VARD-Fincantieri the “Italia Brillante” Award in recognition of the role played by the company in the shipbuilding sector and as a symbol of Italian excellence in Norway. The award was presented by the Italian Ambassador to Oslo, Stefano Nicoletti, yesterday evening, during an event at the Venti-Venti Italian Restaurant, located in the iconic building by Architect Renzo Piano that houses the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art in Oslo, in the presence of over 60 representatives of Italian and Norwegian companies. Both CEO Cathrine Kristiseter Marti and the VARD’s SVP HR & Organization, Dr. Salvatore Savinelli, collected the award, highlighting the challenges and opportunities of the shipbuilding sector. A networking dinner concluded the evening.
“The results of VARD-Fincantieri and the Italian naval-mechanical and maritime industry in general,” explains Ambassador Nicoletti, “are evidence of the success of our country’s industrial policies towards innovation, technology and attention to sustainability. In particular, our shipbuilding sector players are growing thanks to their ability to integrate technology, big data and artificial intelligence with a commitment to sustainability, through the development of non-polluting fuels and next-generation engines.”
Cathrine Kristiseter Marti highlights how “belonging to Fincantieri, one of the most important shipbuilding groups in the world with over 230 years of history and more than 7,000 ships built, has consolidated and strengthened the company’s position in the international panorama of specialized vessels for the offshore market. Fincantieri and VARD, which can count on a motivated and qualified workforce of more than 7,000 people, will continue to collaborate to offer sustainable and cutting-edge technological solutions that can respond to the challenges of the green and digital transition”. Fincantieri has been present in Norway since 2013 with the company VARD, which is positioned as one of the main global players in the construction of specialized vessels to support offshore activities in the wind and oil & gas sectors and with autonomous operation.
VARD, which is headquartered in Ålesund, is dedicated in particular to the construction of frigates for the transport of helicopters and with icebreaking capabilities. The final step was the delivery of the “KV Hopen” ship to the Norwegian Coast Guard – the last of three “Jan Mayen” class vessels that Ambassador Nicoletti defined as “a project that respected the construction times and deadlines, as well as the agreed price, with the full satisfaction of the Norwegian Coast Guard as the client”. Fincantieri is the only shipbuilding group in the world to be present in all segments of the high value-added shipbuilding industry. In the last fifteen years, in fact, the group has launched some of the most modern and high-performance ships in the world.
