Vietnam, Norway look to optimize maritime economic cooperation

Vietnam and Norway will forge stronger cooperation in maritime economy for the interest of residents in coastal localities, heard a conference on maritime economy held by the Norwegian Embassy in Ho Chi Minh City on November 23.

According to Nguyen Hoang Ha from the Development Strategy Institute under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, with advantages of a long coastline spanning from north to south, Vietnam boasts high potential in sea-based industries, trade and services.

However, the exploitation of maritime economy in Vietnam has been limited as the annual production value has stayed modest, he said.

Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam Siren Gjerme Eriksen at the event (Source:voh.com.vn)

Ha also pointed to challenges facing Vietnam in effective developing sea-based economy and protecting the environment at the same time in the context of climate change, adding that Vietnam should make new policies and planning and widen its international cooperation for improving the situation.

Meanwhile, Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam Siren Gjerme Eriksen said that Norway and Vietnam share similar strength in sea-based economy, maritime navigation and oil and gas, which enabled them to cooperate in the areas over the past years.

Since 1979, Norway has supported Vietnam in personnel training for the oil and gas sector, she said, adding that Norway has also worked with Vietnam in developing standards in environment and safety for the sector.

In the future, if negotiations on the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Area (which comprises of Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) succeed, the Vietnam-Norway trade and investment ties will thrive, she said.

At the same time, Erik Hempel, Director of Communications at the Nor-Fishing Foundation, shared his opinion on the significance of science and technology in fisheries development. He also pointed to the need of a complete legal framework for sustainable development.

Within the conference’s framework, a number of thematic discussions were held on maritime economic sectors of both country’s strength, technology in seaport operation and sustainable development of the shipbuilding industry.