Ireland must be prepared to abandon talks on a deal giving Norway greater access to Irish waters, say fishing industry chiefs.

The deal, which is being negotiated between the EU and Norway, is being discussed at a time when other EU states want a greater share of Norway’s cod stocks.

Industry chiefs here fear the EU will sacrifice Ireland’s fish stocks to keep Norway happy so the rest of the EU can get what they want.

Norway — despite not being a member of the EU — is currently allowed by the EU to fish 74,000 tonnes of blue whiting in Irish waters.

This is considerably more than the 48,000 tonnes Irish fishermen can catch in Irish waters.

But as part of annual international quota negotiations to do with how much various states can fish in other states’ waters, Norway has included a demand that it be allowed fish for a total of 450,000 tonnes of blue whiting in Irish waters.

Talks, which stalled last December after Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue objected to Norway’s request, begin again on Wednesday. 

Irish Fish Producers Organisation chief executive Aodh O’Donnell said: “The EU must ensure fairness is central to any proposal to grant Norway greater access to Irish waters.

“Ireland cannot be expected to acquiesce to these new and additional requests for access unless we are offered a reciprocal arrangement.

“We appreciate that other EU states desperately want a deal with Norway to give them access to Norway for cod stocks. 

But it is unthinkable, unjust and inequitable that everyone else should gain at Ireland’s expense.”

He added: “Ireland must be prepared to walk away unless a meaningful quota transfer is agreed, in return for giving Norway wider access to our blue whiting. 

“The minister has already shown resolve on this matter, and he must insist a piecemeal deal is unacceptable. He has our full support on this crucial issue, to help turn the tide for our coastal communities.”

Irish South and West Producers Organisation chief executive Patrick Murphy said: “The Government must be resolute and clear. 

“A firm position must be taken until a clear arrangement is reached which benefits Ireland as much as Norway. 

“Ireland must no longer attend the table as a perpetual loser, we must be prepared to walk away and refuse to countenance any additional unfair deal with a non-EU member.”

Ireland’s quotas were slashed by 15% in the Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement, but while the cut helped get the deal over the line for more powerful EU member states, the deal has since damaged Ireland’s fishing industry.

Norway’s Blastr Green Steel is planning a €4 billion ($4.3 billion) investment to construct a low-carbon steel factory in Finland in what could be one of the largest industrial projects to take place in the Nordic country.

Blastr signed a letter of intent with Fortum Oyj on the planned location, an industrial area in Inkoo on the south coast of the country, according to a statement by Business Finland on Tuesday. The facility will include integrated hydrogen production and employ as many as 1,200 staff when operational.

Steel-making is one of the most polluting industries in the world, with huge blast furnaces heating iron ore with coking coal. A cleaner way is to use hydrogen produced with renewable energy. A number of companies, including Sweden’s SSAB AB and Finland’s Outokumpu Oyj, are exploring green-steel technologies, though it’s not yet produced at an industrial scale.

The Blastr factory is set to produce 2.5 million tons of hot and cold-rolled green steel annually from of 2026. The company chose Finland for its factory in part due to the abundance of wind power, according to Chief Executive Officer Hans Fredrik Wittusen. While Blastr is yet to secure funding for the project, it plans to raise debt and funds on the capital markets, the CEO told newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. The final investment decision is due in the beginning of 2025, according to the newspaper.

[Leo Laikola]

A meeting aimed at representatives of the Baltic states will take place in Oslo on Tuesday where discussions will focus on the implementation of the European Green Deal in the development of electric transport solutions.

At the meeting, leading Norwegian officials, enterprises and the non-governmental sector will share their experiences and examples about sustainable transport and climate issues with representatives of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The meeting will be led by Moller Baltic Import whose goal is to promote a faster transition to sustainable mobility in the Baltic states and to strengthen the area’s energy independence.

Climate change and the geopolitical processes in the Baltic region are encouraging the states to end their dependence on fossil energy resources faster than before. In order to ensure energy independence in the region, the states are pursuing environmentally friendly solutions.

The main factors in the success of Norway are close cooperation between the state and local governments and the successful implementation of a combination of transport tax rates and stimuli. As a result, Norway boasts the highest number of electric cars per resident. In the first quarter of this year, electric cars accounted for 82.9 percent of all new cars.

“The most important factors in the rapid increase of e-mobility in Norway are targeted and well though-out cooperation between the state and local governments, the introduction of e-mobility tax rates and support mechanisms for the private and entrepreneurship sector. Last year, 64.5 percent of all new cars sold in Norway were electric cars. Even though the share of electric cars in the Baltic states is only around 3 percent at present, the Baltics overall have good starting positions for future growth in e-mobility. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have equal positions in this field, which enables much broader options for fostering the development of e-mobility through joint action,” head of the Baltic region at Moller Mobility Group Tore Nilsen Breen said.

While there are differences between the measures used in the Baltic states to promote e-mobility, the region needs a shared strategy to develop energy independence and create a favorable environment for attracting investments.

“Norway’s good experience shows that the efficient development of e-mobility must be uniform in the entire region. Close cooperation between the Baltic states and local governments, developing a policy for taxes and stimuli that supports electric cars, and creating a uniform infrastructure at the Baltic Sea level are important cornerstones to promoting sustainable mobility and ensuring the region’s energy independence,” CEO of Moller Baltic Import Ilze Grase-Kibilde said.

“Like-mindedness at the political level that e-mobility is the right choice and a path towards sustainable development is the most important factor. I am certain that the Baltic states have the opportunity to spearhead the implementation of mobility solutions if there is targeted and coordinated action between the states’ public sector, private sector and main decision-makers. The good practices implemented in Norway serve as a role model and guide how to achieve faster results in the Baltic states and how to to successfully implement a sustainable e-mobility policy. As such a transition poses numerous challenges, a strategic view is needed from the state for developing support measures for infrastructure as well as the private and business sector,” she added.

Demand for electric cars has been growing gradually in all three Baltic states in recent years. People increasingly opt for electric cars, mainly due to their use of alternative fuels, including more economical fuel sources.

“Switching from an internal combustion engine car to an electric car is motivated not only by rational financial considerations, but also by lifestyle changes that make people increasingly think about environmentally friendly energy sources. The growth of state subsidies and the availability of electric cars, which is reflected in the growth of demand, play an extremely important role in deciding in favor of electric cars. A shared interest in society to care for the environment is also an important factor, which is why e-mobility as a sustainable and climate-friendly way of getting around is important for all of us,” chief operating officer at Moller Auto Baltic Izida Gerkena said.

The meeting will be attended by representatives of Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian public authorities, local governments, non-governmental organizations and businesses who have a shared interest in sustainable transport and climate-friendly solutions. The representatives from Norway will present, based on their experience, various activities that would enable uniform and targeted development of e-mobility in the Baltic states.

The meeting of Norway and the Baltic states in Oslo on Nov. 22 is organized by the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce in Latvia together with cooperation organizations in Estonia and Latvia with the support of Moller Baltic Import SE and the Norwegian embassy in Latvia.

General cargo ship HAV PIKE with cargo of steel left Ferrol Spain early morning Nov 4, bound for Boston, Lincolnshire, UK, but suffered engine failure (reportedly fuel pump breakdown) some 80 nm north of Ferrol at around 0900 UTC.

The ship was towed back to Ferrol, first to external Ferrol and later to main port, where she was berthed early morning Nov 5. Remained in the same position as of morning Nov 6.

General cargo ship HAV PIKE, IMO 9106912, dwt 3718, built 1994, flag Antigua, manager HAV CHARTERING AS.

Green Cargo will discontinue its domestic operations in Norway, which comprise three railfreight lines, in Q1/2023. According to the carrier, current economic conditions are not sufficient to conduct commercially viable operations in this area. 

The decision will affect some 30 customers and about 120 employees in the Norwegian subsidiaries that are partially working in the terminals of Oslo, Bergen, and Trondheim. 

Green Cargo has had a Norwegian subsidiary operating railfreight services on three domestic lines in Norway since 2016. Green Cargo Norge has grown quite successfully since it was founded in 2016 and today carries almost 40% of intermodal railfreight traffic within the Nordic country, but costs have recently become significantly higher than revenue.

Nevertheless, Green Cargo will continue to run its cross-border freight trains from Sweden to Norway, which will not be affected by the discontinuation of its domestic services in Norway.