Growing interest in Norwegian Cruise and Ferry suppliers: Three incoming delegations in September
In September, Innovation Norway and the Norwegian maritime clusters jointly welcomed three international delegations focusing on, among other markets, cruise and ferries – from Canada, France and Chile. All three came through Innovation Norway's offices abroad, and all three came to meet Norwegian industry.
Canada: BC Ferries in Ålesund
The month opened with Innovation Norway in Canada bringing BC Ferries to Ålesund, as part of the Norwegian supplier network working towards the Canadian market. BC Ferries is one of the world's largest ferry operators: 37 vessels, 47 terminals and 25 routes, carrying 22.7 million passengers and 9.7 million vehicles in fiscal 2025.
And the fleet is being renewed. Four new Island Class ferries, designed for full electric operation, enter service by 2027. Four Summit Class New Major Vessels follow from 2029 to 2031, each carrying up to 2,100 people and 360 cars on diesel-battery hybrid propulsion, built for full electric operation later, with further orders planned. Norwegian-founded Corvus Energy has already won the 40 MWh battery contract for the Summit Class. That is the kind of opening the network is built to find.
France: shipowners from Marseille
Next came the Comité Marseillais des Armateurs de France (CMAF) on its second study visit to Norway in two years, organised by Innovation Norway's Paris office. The delegation included PONANT, Marfret, LD Armateurs, Gazocean, Sogestran and Latitude Blanche, among others. Over three days, from Oslo to Ålesund, the focus was to understand what the next generation of vessels will look like.
In Ålesund we hosted a pitch session at Norsk Maritimt Kompetansesenter (NMK), where six Norwegian companies presented their solutions directly to the shipowners. Short pitches, the right audience, and room for follow-up conversations afterwards.
Chile: electric ferries on the agenda
On 28 September, Innovation Norway hosted a high-level Chilean delegation in Oslo to discuss ferry tenders. It was led by Martin Mackenna, Chile's Undersecretary of Transport, together with Ambassador Hellmut Lagos Koller and the Ministry of Transport's Regional Public Transport Division. InvestChile, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) also took part.
The need is clear. Southern Chile has more than 4,000 km of coastline and over 3,000 islands, many without a road connection. State-subsidised services carry more than 5 million passengers and 1 million vehicles a year, but the vessels are ageing and mostly conventionally powered. With 27 tenders coming, Chile is a market with real opportunities for Norwegian ferry technology.
The Chileans focused on a new tender model built to attract long-term investment: contracts of 17 years or more, the right to bid with vessels yet to be acquired, demand risk shared with the state, and cost-based subsidy adjustment. A new Cabotage Act from late 2025 also lets foreign companies set up fully owned Chilean subsidiaries to run the services. They were particularly interested in how Norway has electrified its ferries.
The Norwegian side covered the whole chain: the Norwegian Public Roads Administration on ferry tendering, the Development Programme for Innovative Public Procurement (LUP), Port of Oslo and Ruter on electrification, HAV Design and Norwegian Electric Systems on vessels and systems, DNB and Export Finance Norway on financing, together with Blue Maritime Cluster. For Chile, that meant one meeting covering everything from tender design to financing. For Norwegian industry, it opened a direct line to a market that is now inviting foreign players in.
