A Chinese company will have access to Kirkenes Harbor – the government will first assess the security

It is already known that the state-controlled shipping company Cosco has been in dialogue with the Port of Kirkenes about access to the port.

Now the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries has sent a letter to the port where they refer to the Security Act and warn that they will survey the port’s importance for national security interests, write NRK.

– In our follow-up of the Port of Kirkenes, the assessment also takes into account that several Chinese companies have shown interest in Kirkenes, and that there have been meetings about possible cooperation between the Port of Kirkenes and the Chinese shipping company Cosco, the ministry writes in an email to NRK.

The ministry’s reference to the Security Act underlines the seriousness of the matter, believes director Hedda Langemyr of the Center for Security and Total Defence.

– This seems to be a clear message that the government has finally woken up to the question of Chinese strategic interests in the north, she says.

The Security Act must, among other things, protect the country against security-threatening acquisitions in businesses that have a national security interest. In March 2021, the Norwegian authorities halted the sale of Bergen Engines to Russian-controlled TMH International for security reasons. The company was instead sold to British Langley Holdings.