Harald Fotland, the chief executive of chemical tanker owner Odfjell, has been elected president of the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association after serving as vice president for the past two years.
Fotland, who has been at the helm of Odfjell since May 2022 and is also a board member at the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) , will lead the association’s board for the period 2024–2026. He takes over from Synnøve Seglem, the deputy CEO of Knutsen OAS Shipping and the association’s second female president, following the election of Elisabeth Grieg in 2008.
Höegh Autoliners CEO Andreas Enger has been elected vice president.
The Norwegian Shipowners’ Association was founded in 1909 and counts around 160 members. Nine out of its ten members have moved to invest in climate-neutral solutions when building new ships, and almost everyone now plans to invest in technology that produces lower emissions than conventional technology.
“The shipping companies are the hub of the maritime industry, an industry that employs close to 90,000 people along the entire coast and creates values worth NOK211bn. The most important drivers for change in the coming years are the industry’s ambitious climate goals and the need to develop technology and solutions that contribute to achieving these goals. Our members represent one of the world’s most energy-efficient fleets and will lead the way in the green shift. I look forward to taking on the task as president of the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association in what is an exciting, but also security-politically challenging time for global shipping, said Fotland.
Earlier this year, the association announced that Harald Solberg would be stepping down as chief executive after six years on the job to take over The Federation of Norwegian Industries. Viggo Bondi has been appointed in an acting role until Solberg’s replacement is in place.
