SSG No 10 - Shipgaz

SHIPPING AND SHIP MANAGEMENT
saying that Finland has to act within the
framework of EU guidelines”, states Mr
Nykänen.
“Regarding mixed crews we hope that
the possibility to use them will be extended.
Thereafter it is normal procedure to
negotiate about the application of the law
with the employees’ organisations.”
More concrete
Compared to the previous Government
Programme, Mr Nykänen thinks that the
new one is one step more concrete regarding
its shipping policy.
“This goes especially for the issue of the
tonnage tax and I am therefore very optimistic
that a reform will take place in this
matter.”
In general Mr Nykänen thinks that the
attitudes towards shipping have changed in
Finland in recent years.
“Long-term background work is now
starting to bear fruit and create proper preconditions
for analyzing what matters are
of real importance to the branch. After this
decisions are based on knowledge and
facts.”
An important reason for this, he thinks,
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is that both employers’ and employees’
organisations agree about the guidelines on
how to develop shipping. They also give
common statements about shipping as a
growth business.
“We have strong economic growth in the
Baltic Sea area and we are in the middle of
this area. Finnish shipping companies and
seafarers possess advanced know-how,
which the decision makers have begun to
realise. I have noticed that the knowledge
about the branch has clearly developed in a
positive way.”
Growing branch
Mr Nykänen thinks that in Finland shipping
perhaps is also starting to be seen as
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It is of the utmost
importance to maintain
the competitiveness
of the Finnish flagged
merchant fleet.
a branch with potential to develop and
grow in importance. In Finland, as in
many other European countries, a lot of
effort has been put into finding new
growth areas to compensate for old
declining branches. Here Mr Nykänen
thinks that shipping might have an important
role, but he calls for a change of attitude.
“Perhaps information technology is not
the only business with growth potential in
our country. Maybe also a traditional
branch such as shipping could be a growing
one. I think that the potential of shipping
has not been noticed or exploited to
even near its full extent in Finland so far.
With our high know-how we may offer a
growing number of jobs and bring positive
development.”
However, Mr Nykänen does not see any
possibilities for Finnish flagged shipping to
compete world-wide. Nor is this the ambition
of Finnish ship owners today. Instead
the key word is quality.
“We will never be a low cost alternative
on the global market, so we have to focus
on know-how and quality”, he concludes.
pär-henrik sjöström
Offshore Developments, the June issue from
Scandinavian Shipping Gazette
Read about:
Harsh Environment Jack-Up’s, Semi-submersible rigs, Især
Norway, West Coast offshore base in Esbjerg, Ågotnes,
Stavanger, what happens in the North Sea? and much more.
Publishing day: June 18, 2007 Deadline for space: June 1, 2007
Lars Adrians +46-31 62 95 71
Odd-Einar Reseland +47-47 33 29 96
Stig-Johan Lundström +358-45 13 24 499
www.shipgaz.com
40 SCANDINAVIAN SHIPPING GAZETTE • MAY 21, 2007