THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Norwegian companies - Marinor and Corvus Energy - have agreed to consider expanding their operations to Kerala, State Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Saturday.
Marinor is one of the leading companies for marine accommodation services while Corvus Energy is a Norwegian supplier for zero-emission and hybrid maritime, offshore, subsea and port applications.
Marinor which deals with the marine and offshore accommodation systems has agreed to consider Kerala while setting up their factory in India, the Chief Minister's Office here said quoting Vijayan.
The CMO said Marinor was involved in setting up of the cabins and steel furniture for the recently commissioned aircraft carrier of India -- the INS Vikrant.
"The company, with presence in 7 countries, has an office in Kochi. Currently, they manufacture furniture abroad and bring them to Kochi. They are looking for manufacturing in Kerala the marine and offshore accommodation systems for the Asian region, " a release issued by the CMO said.
Marinor CEO Terje Nerås has agreed to participate in an investment meet of Norwegian companies proposed by Kerala in January next year.
The CEO also responded in a positive manner to cooperate with the marine cluster initiative by the State government.
Corvus Energy, which has been engaged in battery technology used on board ships to reduce emissions, has also expressed interest in expanding their operations to Kerala.
State Industries Minister P Rajeeve and other members of the high-level delegation, who are in Norway, as part of their Europe trip, visited one of the most-advanced battery production factory of Corvus Energy.
The Chief Minister's visit to Norway is part of the European trip, which would also cover England and Wales, and is envisaged to woo more investments to Kerala in the IT sector, meet stakeholders in Ayurveda and tourism sectors and also to understand the educational models in those countries.
The trip is scheduled to be wrapped up by October 12.