Securing the Blue North: Ocean Industries in a Shifting Security Landscape
While the conference highlights geopolitical risk and defence strategies, this session brings in the perspective of those who keep society running day-to-day – shipping, fisheries, ports, and critical maritime infrastructure - thereby linking the debates of the main conference on Arctic security with the realities of ocean-based industries operating in the north.
When: September 17, 2025, 15:00 - 16:00
Where: Langhuset at SALT, Langkaia 1, 0150 Oslo (next to the Opera House) (up to 120 seats)
Organizer: High North Center for Business and Governance, Nord University & Center for the Ocean and the Arctic
Format: Open seminar (1 moderator, 4 panellists, intro remarks, discussion, Q&A). No registration needed, seating is limited and available upon arrival.
Questions? Please contact Andreas Raspotnik (andreas.raspotnik@nord.no).
Tentative program
15:00–15:05 | Welcome
Andreas Raspotnik, High North Center for Business and Governance, Nord University
15:05–15:20 | Scene-setter
Jan-Gunnar Winther, Center for the Ocean and the Arctic
Michael Sfraga, Former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs, Interim Chancellor, University of Alaska Fairbanks
15:20–16:00 | Panel Discussion: Are Ocean-Based Industries Prepared for the New Security Environment?
Aim: Bring together voices from different ocean-based sectors to explore preparedness, government support, and daily impact in a shifting security landscape.
Panelists:
Morten Albertsen, Båtsfjord havn
Aud Nistov, Offshore Norway
Hanna Bakke-Jensen, Norwegian Fishermen’s Association
Arve Dimmen, Norwegian Coastal Administration
16:00–16:10 | Closing & Forward Look
Halla Hrund Logadottir, Member of Icelandic Parlament
SALT began as an art project in 2014 on Sandhornøy, Northern Norway, centered around the traditional fish-drying rack (fiskehjell). After several years as a nomadic initiative, SALT found a permanent home in Oslo, where it now represents Northern Norwegian (Arctic) culture and architecture in the capital.
