- Volunteers ensure that our historic vessels stay afloat. This is important for preserving the cultural heritage along our coast. We are now supporting this with new funding," says Minister of Climate and Environment Espen Barth Eide.
Today, there are around 260 protected ships and 14 that are listed. The composition of the protected fleet in Norway varies from county to county, from small fishing vessels to large and resource-intensive passenger ships. This is reflected in the application amounts submitted to the various counties and the Sami Parliament.
In total, the counties and the Sami Parliament have received applications from 141 vessels for a total of NOK 240 million. This is an increase of NOK 44 million from 2022. The Norwegian Association for Vessel Preservation has applied to the Directorate for Cultural Heritage for a grant of around NOK 2.6 million in 2023. The framework for distribution from the grant scheme is NOK 55 million, since NOK 15 million has already been used through commitments made in 2022 and paid out in 2023.
- The counties where there are boats that are already on the slipway or in dock receive the most grants," says Hanna Geiran, National Heritage Officer. Some counties have more and more costly vessels, and this is also reflected in our priorities.
The grants are also important to support projects that involve a high degree of voluntary effort, and vessels that are protected, as well as vessels that have orders that must be carried out to maintain certificates. Three county councils, Viken, Oslo and Nordland, will see an increase in grants in 2023, while the others will see a decrease.
For 2023, the operating grant for the schooner «Anna Rogde» has been moved to the Ministry of Culture's budget, and the allocation to Troms and Finnmark is therefore not actually changed.
See an overview of the distribution on the National Heritage Board's website.
