Ports are not just part of the logistics system – they are a prerequisite for both emergency preparedness, business development and new jobs.
State Secretary Even Tronstad Sagebakken (Labour Party) at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries has confirmed that he will attend the Port Conference 2025 in Kristiansand on August 21.
As a former mayor of Lindesnes and now state secretary with responsibility for, among other things, maritime transport and port policy , Sagebakken is a clear voice for coastal Norway and maritime business development.
– We are very happy to have Sagebakken on the program. He represents a policy that focuses on new maritime industries and more green jobs , and it is important to highlight ports as critical infrastructure in this work, says Isabelle-Louise Aabel, communications manager at Kristiansand Port and project manager for the Port Conference.
In his role as State Secretary, Sagebakken is closely involved in the development of national port policy, and has been clear about the need to connect politics, industry and infrastructure more closely together.
The Port Conference shares this view. If we are to succeed in developing new green value chains – whether it concerns offshore wind, maritime battery production, green shipping or export-oriented seafood – the port must be considered early . Not as the last link, but as the first premise.
It's about quayside, area, access to the sea, digital infrastructure, security – and not least cross-border cooperation.
At a time when the security policy landscape is changing, and both NATO and the government have emphasized the need for a more robust society, ports are also being highlighted as part of total preparedness.
Fisheries Minister Marianne Sivertsen Næss recently wrote in Bladet Vesterålen that maritime security is crucial for Norway's security . It is a message that should also be anchored on the quayside – where both the civilian and the strategic meet.
Even Tronstad Sagebakken will open the conference on August 21 with the government's perspectives on developments in ports, the maritime industry and civil preparedness - and how we can facilitate growth, exports and green jobs along the coast through policy, cooperation and infrastructure investments.
