This year's Barents Sea Conference in Hammerfest has already received 200 registrations and they continue to flood in. Never before have there been so many early registrants, and the organisers are busy arranging accommodation for all those attending. "We are not surprised that we are breaking records this year", says Raymond Robertsen, on behalf of the organisers. He believes that both the conference programme and other complementary events offer a wide variety of attractions.
This is the fourth year in succession that the Barents Sea Conference and Exhibition have been held in the last week of April. This year the conference is held under the banner of "Arctic Energy", and both the Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Riis-Johansen, and Bernard Fuston of the inter-governmental Arctic Council will address the conference. "This year we will have a broader energy focus at the conference. However the potential and current activities within the oil and gas sector will also be a central theme", says Robertsen.
The Barents Sea Exhibition, which runs in conjunction with the conference, has received a good many registrants. In spite of the credit crunch, the organisers are experiencing great interest in the events surrounding the Barents Sea Conference. There is great interest for the northern areas at present, and this comes as no surprise to us, say the organisers. Development of the Goliat field is just around the corner, and the Snøhvit LNG Train 2 project has been revitalised. Much is also happening in the Russian sector. Investments amounting to several tens of billions will be made in the Barents Sea in the years to come, and this in itself has promoted increased interest in the Barents Sea Conference 2009.
Fredrik Major at Sevan Marine ASA agrees too that the expected levels of activity in the Barents Sea generate interest in the area. Our company is focusing on the northern areas, and the Barents Sea Conference is an important forum for us where we can meet both our clients and business partners, together with many decision-makers.
A Barents Sea Youth Conference will also be held prior to the main events, gathering young people from the entire Barents region. This year both the Barents Sea Conference and the Northern Norwegian Development Council are jointly arranging a Round Table debate prior to the main conference.