The Norwegian Coastal Administration's activities (discontinued), 2014

Indicators on activities/services and results

Regions and departments for maritime traffic

The Norwegian Coastal Administration has split the operating part of the pilot services into seven departments for maritime traffic, geographically defined as one or several counties.

• Oslofjorden Department for Maritime Traffic (Østfold, Oslo, Akershus, Buskerud and Vestfold)
• Skagerrak Department for Maritime Traffic (Telemark and the counties of Agder)
• Rogaland Department for Maritime Traffic 
• Vestlandet Department for Maritime Traffic (Hordaland and Sogn & Fjordane) 
• Møre and Trøndelag Department for Maritime Traffic 
• Nordland Department for Maritime Traffic 
• Troms and Finnmark Department for Maritime Traffic 

The organization of The Norwegian Coastal Administration is made up of eight major operative units. Five out of these, the regions, have geographically defined responsibilities. The Regions have a variety of tasks but they all have at least one department of maritime traffic. The departments of maritime traffic are sorted under the regions as follows:

• Region 1, South Eastern - Oslofjorden Department for Maritime Traffic and Skagerrak Department for Maritime Traffic 
• Region 2, Western - Rogaland Department for Maritime Traffic and Vestlandet Department for Maritime Traffic 
• Region 3, Central - Møre and Trøndelag Department for Maritime Traffic
• Region 4, Nordland - Nordland Department for Maritime Traffic
• Region 5, Troms and Finnmark - Troms and Finnmark Department for Maritime Traffic

Vessel traffic services (VTS) and VTS centres

VTS is a commonly used abbreviation for vessel traffic services and is both used for the areas - VTS area - and the centres - VTS centre - set up to manage traffic. The areas and the responsibilities of the centres are given by law  FOR-2009-12-15-1684 .

The VTS centres exercise rules for sailing and other regulations of traffic in granted areas. These are the areas:

Fedje VTS is located on the island municipality of Fedje in North Hordaland and covers the area from the Sogne Sea in the north to the Hjelte Fjord at Sture in the south. The VTS centre was established in 1992 and its main duties are related to oil shipments from the Sture and Mongstad terminals, in addition to traffic control centre tasks in an area with high traffic density.

Kvitsøy  VTS was established in 2003 and is located in Kvitsøy Municipality in Rogaland. The VTS Centre covers the area from Bømla Fjord in the north to the Jæren Reef in the south. The centre's main duties include traffic monitoring in connection with shipments from the gas terminal at Kårstø, in addition to general monitoring of coastal traffic in an area with a relatively high traffic density.

Brevik  VTS is located at Brevikstrømmen in Porsgrunn Municipality. It covers the approaches to the major industrial area in Grenland, where a large portion of the ship traffic consists of gas carriers and vessels with other hazardous cargo. The Brevik VTS Centre is the Norwegian Coastal Administration's oldest centre and was established in 1978 as a result of the petrochemical development at Rafnes. There is a special dispensation scheme with regard to compulsory pilotage in this area.

Horten  VTS is located in the port of Horten. It was established in 1999, and its area of responsibility is to monitor and regulate shipping in the waters from Færder to Spro/Steilene at Nesodden. The waters in this area are the responsibility of the Oslo Port Traffic Control Centre.

Vardø  VTS became operational on 1 January 2007. The VTS Centre, which has NOR VTS as it call name, covers traffic monitoring in the northern areas, from the Barents Sea to Lofoten by means of radar monitoring, ship reporting and AIS.

Vardø VTS also administers the state tugboat emergency preparedness scheme in Northern Norway. From 1 July 2008 the Vardø VTS Centre was made responsible for monitoring all tankers and other hazardous traffic along the entire coast and the sea area around Svalbard, with the exception of the areas of operation for the Norwegian Coastal Administration's other four VTS centres.

Statistics on Vardø VTS is not included with the other VTS centres. The reason is that the responsibility of Vardø VTS differs so much from the others.

Vessel clearance 

All sailings in a VTS area need clearance from the VTS centre. If the vessel only visits 1 port in the VTS area then one port calling will mean 2 vessel clearances - one for arrival and one for departure. All vessels over 24 meters of length needs a vessel clearance in VTS areas. More details can be found in the law  FOR 2009-12-15-1684 .

SafeSeaNet (SSN)

SafeSeaNet Norway is Norway's Single Window portal for ship reporting. This is a messaging service for ships arriving and departing Norwegian ports. Duty to notify is detailed in law: FOR 2009-12-17 nr 1633 . These vessels have to notify:

• Vessels that intend to cross the Norwegian baseline and/or arrive in a Norwegian port.
• Vessels that are required to report HAZMAT, ISPS and Port State Control information.
• All vessels of 300 gross tons or more must give notice prior to arrival or departure unless otherwise specified.
• Fishing vessels, traditional ships and pleasure craft with a length of 45 meters or more.
• Vessels over 1 000 gross tons with a bunker quantity of 300 tons or more.
• All ships irrespective of size, carrying dangerous or polluting cargo.

For vessels with hazmat cargo there will be one notification at departure and another one for arrival at port. For all other vessels there will be one notification per sailing.

Indicators from VTS areas

The indicators from VTS areas is a varied collection of statistics. Their association to the VTS area is many times the only thing they have in common. The indicators are:

• Traffic interventions includes request to alter course and speed
• Information from VTS centre to vessel on everything from weather etc. This indicator was discontinued in 2013.
• Accidents in VTS area
• Violations of sailing regulations
• Violations of pilotage duty
• Event reports
• Other discrepancies, e.g. number of times there have been a loss of surveillance camera, VHF or AIS signal

Pilot and pilotage

A person employed by the Coastal Administration and set to be an advisor to the navigator of a ship.

Sailing with compulsory pilotage

A sailing is a vessels travel between two points. A sailing with compulsory pilotage is a sailings where navigator must show sufficient knowledge of the straits and the vessels in operation. Areas of compulsory pilotage and how to fulfil the requirements is described in the law  FOR 1994-12-23 . The duty is met either through hiring a pilot, documenting that the navigator holds a pilot exemption certificate, or a one time exemption can be granted from the Coastal Administration.

Pilot exemption certificate

Certificate issued, by the Coastal Administration, to navigators that attend training with ensuing tests demonstrating knowledge on straits and ships.Starting from 2015, new pilot exemption certificates may be granted following a test conducted by a pilot or following an evaluation conducted by an approved assessor in the shipping company.

Exemption

The Coastal Administration can in special cases, upon the application from the master of the ship, grant an exemption from the duty to use a pilot.

AIS and base station

AIS is an abbreviation for automatic identification system. This is a VHF based system for traffic surveillance. There is a transmitter/receiver on every boat communicating with base stations on land. The base stations are located so to achieve the greatest possible coverage of the coast.

Maritime- or ship accidents

An event at or around one or several ships resulting in harm/damage to ship or person.

Nav installations

Common term for various installations meant to aid navigation, e.g. lighthouses and AIS base stations. 

Availability

Time of functional operation of Nav installations, usually given as in percentage

Vessels standby for pollution and rescue

Vessels in standby for pollution and rescue will have on board all gear necessary for oil cleanup. Vessels prepared to rescue will have crew trained for these events. 

Events with acute or immediate pollution

The Coastal Administration is responsible for the operative part the state's preparedness against acute pollution. Forurensningsloven § 38 defines what one is to understand as acute pollution. The law states further that the response to all such events must be coordinated by the Coastal Administration.

Surveillance by satellite and air plane

The Coastal Administration monitors the seas by satellite images and air planes. Surveillance by air plane is measured by flight hours while measuring the surveillance by satellite is done by counting images studied. The costal Administration sometimes receives images from Norsk oljevernforening for operatørselskap (NOFO) and European Maritime Safety organization (EMSA). Images from NOFO and EMSA are not included here.

Input measured in NOK (closed series)

Own production is defined, in principle, as the sum of the costs of the input factors that the different activities use to carry out activities and produce services. These are wage costs, the purchase of goods and services and use of fixed assets. Figures concerning use of fixed assets, i.e. depreciation and imputed interests, are usually not available. Therefore, this element is excluded from own production. The enterprises’ costs of purchase of goods and services, which are replacements for their own production of similar services, do not enter into their own production concept. Such costs are instead classified as transfers. An example is the Children, Youth and Family Affairs’ (Bufetat) purchase of services form private child welfare institutions. The central government purchases services from (transfers money to) these institutions, which in return undertake the responsibility for the care of the child.

Wage costs are defined as the total remuneration payable to the employees, including social security contributions. Reimbursements are subtracted. In addition, for some enterprises an estimated amount, due to lack of pension contributions to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, is included in the wage costs.

Purchase of goods and services covers the value of utilized goods and services used in the production. However, the health enterprises’ purchase of services from other state health enterprises is not included in this category. Similarly, purchases that are not utilizes in the production, are not part of the purchase concept. Such purchases enter into the category of transfers.

Expenses to purchase services between central government enterprises which include debit authorisation, are in StatRes included in own production both for the buyer (purchase of services) and the seller (wage costs). To avoid double entry of the expenses, the internal trades are eliminated as the enterprises are added up to main divisions of services. Hence, the sum of the divisions of services might appear as higher than the main divisions. Internal trades without debit authorisation are not observable in the data sources, and hence not eliminated.

Estimated contributions to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund correspond to the estimated amount added to the enterprises which do not have those pension costs included in their accounts.  

Transfers comprise current payments to the private and public sector, such as pensions, child allowance and sick pay and rehabilitation benefits to households, operating subsidies to the industry and commerce, and transfers to the local authorities, NGOs and foreign countries. Transfers within enterprises in the central government are not included, for instance the Ministry of Health’s transfers to health enterprises. Still, transfers cover purchases of goods and services that do not enter in the production, as mentioned under Purchase of goods and services.

Investments cover procurements of fixed capital such as buildings, machinery, roads, railroads and equipment. Net acquisition of land is also included in this category. Sales of fixed assets are deducted. Investments in financial objects, such as stocks are not included.

Total expenditure is made up of the sum of own production, transfers and investments.

Input measured in contracted man-years adjusted for long term leaves (closed series)

Contracted man-years adjusted for long term leaves is defined as the sum of the number of full-time jobs and part-time jobs converted to full-time equivalents, excluding man-years lost due to doctor-certified absence and parental leave.

The population is based upon the Central Register of Establishments and Enterprises’ (BoF), units that are classified as a central government enterprise. The institutional grouping of the economy into sectors is a standard that is based on recommendations for the National Account structure, provided by the United Nations. Norway’s institutional grouping of sectors is based on the Eurostat’s ESA 1995 , which recommends that each country should design their own sector structure which is adapted to the nation’s distinctive characteristics. The central government is a sub-sector within the general government.

Indicators on activities/services and results

Ships are grouped according to Standard for classification of type of vessels at Statistics Norway

Input measured in NOK (closed series)

Expenditure is classified by the structure of the national account, which broadly corresponds with the definitions in IMF's Government Finance Statistics Manual 2001 ( GFSM2001 ). The expenditure is classified into groups, based on whether it is related to the enterprise’s own production of service, transfers in cash or in kind, or investments.  In a few cases, the definitions are deviated for the purpose of a more realistic picture of the use of Resources.