Havyard Aims at Asian Market
Hallvard Fosnavaag has been appointed head of Havyard Far East and will be responsible for the markets in Asia (with the exception of China) and the Middle East.
In addition to Havyard Far East Pte. Ltd. in Singapore, Havyard also has an office in Shanghai in China.
Hallvard Fosnavaag is 51 years old qualified ship’s master and has sailed several types of offshore vessels, most recently the EMAS-owned cable-laying/construction vessel ‘Lewek Connector’.
Before that, he was inspector for the shipping company during the building of the vessel in Norway. Hallvard has also worked in offshore vessel operation for several Norwegian shipping companies, including as operations manager in Siem Offshore.
“I have good experience from offshore vessels, both as captain on board and from managing the vessels from onshore,” says Hallvard Fosnavaag. “I believe that this experience will prove useful in my job for Havyard and that my expertise can also benefit Havyard’s customers. Companies in Norway are among the very best at developing, building and operating advanced vessels, and, with some adaptations, a lot of this technology will also add value for shipping companies in Asia. We see that there is increasing focus on operating economy and on the environment, and Havyard’s products are at the cutting edge in that regard,” says Fosnavaag.
Hallvard Fosnavaag will move to Singapore and use Havyard Far East as his base. From there, he will serve customers in Singapore and the rest of the market, supported by Havyard’s organisation in Norway.
“We have a strong foothold in Asia, and especially in China, where we have had own employees since 2009,” says Gisle Vinjevoll Thrane, Vice President Sales at Havyard Design & Solutions. “We have also been active in Singapore, but our experience is that this is a difficult market to serve just with people coming out from Norway. Now that Hallvard is on the team, we have a resource who can be present locally and serve customers better. In addition, his expertise in the operation of vessels will be a big advantage for both Havyard and our customers.”
“Our technology, expertise and products that are adapted to local requirements make us attractive to customers in these markets. Havyard is very flexible and can deliver everything from single systems to design and equipment packages and complete vessels, based on the customer’s wishes. We have great faith that Hallvard’s local presence will be seen as positive and that, in a long-term perspective, we can realise the potential in these markets even better than we do today,” says Thrane.
