Summer greetings from OHC!
Dear members of Ocean Hyway Cluster and other friends of the hydrogen industry,
Cluster Manager Martin Hennum
As we reach the midpoint of 2025, it's a good time to reflect on the past months—a period marked by both challenges and promising opportunities for the hydrogen industry. Stepping into my first year as Cluster Director, I’m excited to help drive the clusters’ development and support each of our members in the work ahead.
While we experience challenging times for our industry, there are clear signs of progress and optimism. The five hydrogen production plants that were awarded support from Enova in Norway in the fall of 2024 have announced that they are receiving the support and thus taking on a significant commitment to implement the projects. Further, in May, the EU Innovation Fund awarded substantial grants to three Norwegian companies, including our members Gen2Energy and Norwegian Hydrogen, receiving NOK 719.1 million and NOK 154.1 million respectively. This represents a significant milestone toward advancing Norwegian hydrogen production. Congratulations!
It’s been an eventful year, full of activity. We've strengthened our collaboration with Maritime Cleantech by hosting several joint events and meetings. We attended Nor Shipping, where we hosted the Maritime Hydrogen Conference and co-organized matchmaking sessions, attracting more than 200 participants from global maritime community. We also published a comprehensive report on the potential for retrofitting PSVs — [to summary]. Further, and important for our upcoming activity, we secured funding for our project Green Energy Stations [more info].
Over the last year, we have deepened our ties with the Norwegian-German Chamber of Commerce in Oslo, participating in their Ocean Working Group and events such as the Kiel Maritime Conference. In addition, we strengthened our partnership with Innovation Norway, including our participation in the World Hydrogen Summit, where many of our members were represented in the Norwegian Pavilion.
10-year anniversary!!
We’re excited to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our annual hydrogen conference! Originally planned to take place in Florø this October, we decided to create a special setting for this milestone and have therefore moved the event to the beautiful fisherman’s village of Kalvåg—a location many of you know from our annual conference dinners (and relax - we got your logistics from Florø covered). Additionally, we’ve shifted the conference to spring, scheduling it for April 22nd and 23rd 2026, in hopes of welcoming better weather. Save the date—more details will be shared soon!
Internal Changes and New Talent
We are experiencing transitions within our team. Two long-standing and highly valued colleagues, Kristin Svardal and Maria Brandsøy, are moving on to new chapters. Kristin to a new job opportunity with Linja, and Maria to pursue engineering studies, a result of a growing technical interest after years of collaboration with our members. We are grateful for their dedication and contributions over the years.
At the same time, we’re excited to welcome fresh talent to the cluster. We’re pleased to have Maria Johansen joining as Business Development Manager, Beate Grønnevik stepping in as our new CCO, and Dimana Helle as our new trainee in Communication and Events. We look forward to welcoming them after the summer holidays and will provide a proper introduction in due time.
With new colleagues on board, we're looking forward to an exciting autumn. One key moment will be the IMO’s MEPC meeting in October, which could mark a major turning point — shaping the course and regulatory framework for maritime decarbonization in the years ahead. Until then, I hope to see many of you at Arendalsuka in August!
On behalf of myself and everyone at Ocean Hyway Cluster, we wish you a wonderful summer. May it be a time to unwind, recharge, and return refreshed for an exciting and eventful autumn ahead.
All the best,
Martin
