[Bluen]

Puh, her kommer hele teksten. Det er øya man først blir blind på, sa brura. Jeg er veldig takknemlig hvis noen orker å lese gjennom og påpeke åpenbare feil og misforståelser. Fagfeltet er ikke akkurat mitt bord heller.

Skeie appointed knight

HM the King has appointed Bjarne Egill Skeie Knight First Class of the Royal Norwegian order of St. Olav for his contribution to Norwegian industry.

KRISTIANSAND: – I was astonished. I would never have imagined anything like this, but still I am very happy, Bjarne Egill Skeie says to fvn.no.

The appointment has delighted the innovative engineer who started his career in 1968, being employed as the first constructor at Hydralift in Kristiansand.

Today, almost 40 years later, he is appointed Knight First Class of the Royal Norwegian order of St. Olav for his contribution to Norwegian industry. Skeie is especially pleased that this distinction goes to the trade:

- It is really great that the industry receives such an appointment, Skeie says. - This is rather unusual.

Broke the American monopoly

Skeie had the idea of developing Hydralift’s boat lift, and founded Maritime Hydraulics Ltd in 1971. The company developed and delivered offshore equipment, and managed to break the American monopoly on drilling devices. This is one of the achievements Skeie values the most.

- Breaking the American monopoly and developing two competing systems that have made Kristiansand a global centre of shipping industry are among the accomplishments I am most satisfied with, says Skeie.

Kristiansand has the competence

- In addition, I am pleased that we have the most advanced technology, and that the customers have to visit Kristiansand to call on the competence. The competence is in the minds of the people. This is where the technology is situated, Skeie says, adding that there have been many exiting achievements along the road.

After breaking the American monopoly, Skeie has been a driving force behind the development of new technology and industry in the Southern part of Norway. His numerous companies have been leading constructors and suppliers of equipment to drilling rigs and technology for maintenance of oil wells, as wells as suppliers of underwater systems.

Though the companies are now sold off, there is no doubt that Skeie has developed them into what they are today. In his opinion, it would take a lot for international corporations to catch up with the current position of the companies he founded.

- A prominent industrialist

The royal appointment states that: “In its assessment, the Council of the Order particularly stresses his being a prominent industrialist over a long time, having managed to create an international competence centre in Kristiansand.”

Further, it is considered significant that his work as a founder and driving force in the development and production of world-class drilling equipment has had great extended effects, both locally, nationally, and internationally.

The decoration of the Order will be presented at the Hotel Caledonien in Kristiansand on Tuesday November 20, by the County Governor of Vest-Agder, Ann-Kristin Olsen.