GIEK, which is a public-sector enterprise and part of the Norwegian
Government’s policy implementation system for exports, has long been an
important player within Norwegian exports and has had a key role in lifting
Norwegian goods and services out into the world. GIEK has in the past decade
particularly been important to the maritime and offshore industries, but during
the past year, GIEK has been handed a number of new tools also benefitting
the seafood industry.

- We greatly believe in the seafood industry, which will become the backbone of
Norwegian industry, and we believe GIEK can play a part in helping the industry
reach its growth ambitions in and outside of Norway. GIEK may now assist the
full value chain and may offer loan guarantees for financing of machinery and
equipment for the exporters’ suppliers as well. From 2018, we can also finance
traditional fishing vessels to be constructed and operated in Norway. GIEK
wishes to be a more visible and important partner to the full value chain within
the seafood industry, and therefore wants to back NASF as an important
meeting place and arena for the industry, says Wenche Nistad, CEO at GIEK.

-We are very pleased to have GIEK as a long-term sponsor and partner for
North Atlantic Seafood Forum. It is great to see that GIEK, as part of the public
policy implementation system, takes on a more visible role in backing the
seafood industry, says Jørgen J. Lund, Managing Director of NASF.

GIEK’s main tool to facilitate Norwegian exports is the buyer credit guarantee,
which facilitates financing to foreign buyers of Norwegian capital goods and
services. But GIEK can also issue guarantees to cover loans for investments in
new machinery and production facilities in Norway, if the investments directly or
indirectly lead to exports. The guarantees mitigate risk for the banks and are
intended to expand access to financing for the export industry. In addition to
loan guarantees, GIEK has a number of different guarantee tools to secure both
the exporter, the buyer and the bank in export transactions involving capital
goods and services.

Wenche Nistad will talk more about what GIEK can do to help boost exports of
Norwegian seafood technology at the new Global AquaTech Summit 6 March.