The interest is high, and registrations for this year's event exceeded available spots.
- We are seeing that this conference serves as a meeting place relevant for a broad range of stakeholders in the cruise industry, says Director General of the Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) Einar Vik Arset.
- It is an arena for dialogue and knowledge-sharing amongst the industry and Norwegian authorities. This is essential for preserving and developing both maritime safety and value creation for coastal Norway, he comments.
- I note a strong interest in working together on shared challenges, and the large commercial players are serious and dedicated in their work.
Sharing a key task
Speakers and participants alike share clear common interests in the conference's overarching topics: Safety, preparedness, green transition, and sustainability. The arena is used effectively for knowledge exchange, sharing experiences, and engaging in productive discussions. Participants spent their time efficiently - both following the official program and utilizing breaks to nurture old relationships and form new ones.
New ideas also emerge. One of the speakers even shared that it was an initiative sparked during a coffee break at last year’s conference that led to the joint tug exercise between the NCA, the Norwegian Coast Guard, and Carnival Cruises. They shared their experience from this from the podium.
The Norwegian Cruise Conference is organized by the Norwegian Coastal Administration and the Norwegian Maritime Authority, in collaboration with the cruise networks Cruise Norway and AECO. They all take a lot of valuable input for the event.
- Here, we meet customers and partners in a large and important industry. The fact that the conference was fully booked again this year shows that the content and agenda are hitting the mark," says Acting Director of the Norwegian Maritime Authority, Alf Tore Sørheim.
From the panel discussion. From the left: Trine Krystad, AECO, Monica Berstad, Cruise Norway, Samuel Maubanc, CLIA Europe, Sandra Bratland, Carnival Norway and moderator Jon Leon Ervik, The Norwegian Coastal Administration
Shared Responsibility
A packed, relevant, and diverse program took participants through various professional perspectives, work from vision to results, thoughts on future pathways, noteworthy statistical data, research findings, useful data sources, and new digital tools. The overall tone of the lectures reflected a clear consensus that all maritime actors – both public and private – share a responsibility for several things:
1) Environmental Protection:
Through a wide range of measures. Both private and public sectors are involved.
2) Sustainable Cruise Tourism:
There is a need to work together to find a sustainable level of cruise tourism for the future at each individual Norwegian cruise port.
3) Prevention a main focus:
All participants recognize that it is impossible to scale a full emergency preparedness plan for large ships carrying a great number of passengers. Therefore, the greatest effort must go into preventing accidents with cruise ships from happening.
4) Safety and Preparedness:
This is crucial work for shipping companies, agents, ship captains, national and international cruise networks, emergency authorities like the Norwegian Rescue Coordination Centres (HRS), and maritime authorities such as the Norwegian Coastal Administration and the Norwegian Maritime Authority. The topic was thoroughly discussed from multiple perspectives throughout the day. Much good work is being done on this issue. 
Photos from activities during the Conference