Fred. Olsen Companies
Established in 1848 by the three Olsen brothers of Hvitsten, Norway, Fred. Olsen has more than 170 years of experience in the maritime industry. Fred. Olsen’s main office is located in Oslo, Norway.
The company and it’s subsidiaries have business world wide and offices in UK, the US, Denmark, Germany, Philipines, Malta and Bermuda.
Fred. Olsen Heritage
The foundation of the present day Fred. Olsen businesses was laid in the middle of the 19th century when three Olsen brothers of Hvitsten, Norway, took advantage of an expansion in shipping following the Crimean War. By 1875 the Olsen brothers had a total of 22 sailing ships. By 1886 this had grown to a fleet of 40 vessels. In 1896, the first Fred.Olsen steam ship was built, with a view to building a network of shipping services, firstly in the North Sea and then further afield.
Five generations later, the Fred.Olsen family continues to operate companies in the transportation, leisure and energy industries. The aim throughout is to build a reputation based on service and dependability.
Within the Fred.Olsen related companies, the following marine and energy expertise is held:
- Fred. Olsen Renewables – operates a total of 486MW of onshore wind generated power in UK, Ireland, Sweden and Norway. It is the largest UK Independent Power Provider operating a portfolio of onshore wind farms totalling 11% of Scotland’s installed wind capacity.
- Fred. Olsen Ocean – combining the expertise and services of several FO companies, FO Ocean and it’s subsidieries operates vessels and offers operative, marine and engineering services within offshore and onshore wind energy and offshore operation. Installation vessels, wind turbine foundation development and repair and maintenance are among it’s range of businesses. FO Ocean have offices in Norway, Denmark, Germany, UK, Malta and Bermuda and employs around 750 people.
- Harland and Wolff – over 150 years of marine manufacturing experience from initial consultancy through detailed engineering, fabrication and through-life support.
- Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines – with more UK departure points than any other cruise line, a fleet of cruise ships greet 800 to 1350 passengers per voyage.
- SeaRoc – marine engineering company and consultancy exclusively offering offshore renewable energy services and support.
- Dolphin Drilling ASA – a Norwegian public company listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. FO Energy and it’s subsidieries owns and operates a number of mid-water, deep, and ultradeep semi-submersible drilling rigs operating world wide.
BOLT Sea Power Program
Since the initiation the early 2000s, Fred. Olsen has run a program to develop technology for generation of electrical power from ocean waves.
Today, engineering and operations are run from the Oslo office, while the commercial department is based in the UK branch.
Our current operational activity is operation with BOLT Lifesaver wave energy converter at the US Navy Wave Energy Test Site outside Marine Corps Base Hawaii, US. Following 13 months deployment from 2016 to 2017, she is preparing for redeployment in June 2018.
The commercial focus is on supplying units that enables remote operation of offshore systems by offering locally generated power and a reliable communication link to shore.
Below is a table outlining the various wave energy converters built and operated by the project since 2004.
