Norwegian patriotism

Italian marble on the new Oslo Opera (25. okt. 2004)

The land of stone - tourists complaining of seeing too much of it from the inside while driving through the numerous tunnels! The new opera in Oslo shall be covered by stone. Not norwegian stone, but italian. Some experts say italian marble will not withstand the weatherconditions in Norway and recommend norwegian granite, a symbol of The Solid Norwegian Way. Other experts say it does not matter. We are probably good enough, maybe even better, but far too expensive. So italian stone it is.

Sad, really, that a monumental building like the new opera cannot be used to promote the country it is built in.

De nye gassfergene bygges i Norge (21. jan. 2004)

Det ble Aker Brattvåg som fikk ordren på 5 nye gassferger for selskapet Fjord1. Vi hadde fryktet at også denne spennende ordren skulle havne utenlands.

Fjord1 skal bruke fergene til drift av de to fergestrekningene mellom Bergen og Stavanger som Fjord1 overtar om et par år. Fjord1 var en halv milliard kroner billigere enn HSD i anbudet.

And where does a shipbuilding nation build its frigates ?

Well, in Spain, of course. 5 new frigates are ordered from the spanish yard Alvaro de Bazan. They were cheapest after a "price competition" that turned out to be a joke. The winner yard was getting illegal promotion from the spanish government.

What was supposed to be a norwegian no.1 trade: shipbuilding traditions, knowhow and manpower that we like to sell world wide is not good enough for the government. So they placed the order of frigates in Spain while norwegian shipyards are cutting down.