THE Irish Minister for Communications, Marine & Natural Resources, Noel Dempsey T.D., along with King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, today opened a conference entitled "Maritime Governance - Our Legacy" at the National Maritime College in Ringaskiddy Co. Cork.

The conference will address a wide range of issues such as modern ship design, marine research and innovation, climate and environmental change, safety at sea, maritime education and maritime governance. As well as this it will provide numerous opportunities for Irish-Norwegian collaborations.

"I am particularly pleased to be back here today in the National Maritime College. As Minister for Education I had the honour of laying the foundation stone for the College back in September 2003. It is gratifying to see the College finished, up and running and contributing in a very dynamic and positive manner to the future success of our Maritime Industries," commented Minister Dempsey at the opening of the conference.

"Ireland and Norway are two countries with a proud maritime tradition. Both of our countries were among the original explorers and harvesters of the North Atlantic. Although the Vikings are clearly remembered in popular Irish folklore it is less well recognised that they were also great traders and did much to develop commerce in medieval Ireland. Today Irish and Norwegian mariners are to be found in all the major shipping companies and in many senior positions in world shipping," he continued.

"I am confident that we can look forward to increased bilateral co-operation in the marine sector as a result of this conference and I look forward to receiving feedback on today's outcomes," concluded Minister Dempsey.

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