Norwegian ship equipment plant opens in Haiphong Vinomarine, the first Norwegian ship equipment production plant in the north of Vietnam, opened in the coastal city of Haiphong on March 20. The Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry Monica Maeland who is accompanying Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon Magnus in an official visit to Hanoi cut the opening ribbon of the US$5.1 million plant. Located in the Nomura industrial zone, the plant covers an area of 3,000 sq.m with modern industrial facility. The number of employees is set to increase shortly from the current 35. "We have made an effort to recruit highly skilled personnel with varied maritime and technical background. Even though access to qualified labour is abundant here, we have been very selective in our recruitment. The result is a professional devoted workforce," says Managing Director Knut Ringstad. Behind Vinomarine and its new facility are three Norwegian industrial companies including IMS group, Jets Vacuum and Libra-Plast. The common goals of these three companies are to improve their access to the important Asian ship building markets, and to strengthen their own competitiveness. The Vinomarine facility will manufacture components and products in mild steel, and among other things it features a large, state-of-the-art sandblasting and paint system dimensioned for the sewage treatment plants made by Jets Vacuum. Chairman of Jets Vacuum, Kare Haddel, said they chose Haiphong to build the plant because the city is located at the very centre of Asia. "It has the largest seaport in northern Vietnam with excellent opportunities for import and export," said Haddel.  VNS/VOV online