Kleven is a family owned company with roots deep in the local society of the northern part of West Norway. Companies in Kleven have a history which now stretches a hundred years back in time: the organisation which today is Myklebust Shipyard was founded in 1915, and that of Kleven Shipyard in 1944. The Group has altogether about 770 employees.

Kleven celebrates this year a hundred years since Oskar J Myklebust set up a workshop at the mouth of the Myklebust River in Gursken about 20 km south west of Kleven in Ulsteinvik. This marked the start for today’s Myklebust Shipyard and what is now the Kleven Group. For the whole of 2015 Kleven will celebrate its centenary in various ways.

Willingness to work hard and a desire to steadily improve working methods and results has been a trademark of Kleven throughout its history. While much has changed during this period the principles that Marius Kleven formulated in 1944 have been the same ‘we will do good work that we can be proud of’. 
CEO Ståle Rasmussen, can you tell us more about how you interpret these basic principles? – This simple statement from the blacksmith and founding father Mar- ius Kleven still holds good. Today it’s all about delivering the right quality at the right time, meeting agreements and regulations. We try to live up to this in all we do all the time, even though this is challenging and demanding in a tough business.

Kleven has been a well-known name in the industry for many decades both for newbuildings and for service. In a market notable for tough competition they have positioned themselves by modernising their activities at all levels. They have invested in new knowledge, in new facilities and new technology to ensure that their proud shipbuilding traditions will continue. In recent years Kleven has expanded as a builder of special ships for operators in the oil and gas industry, but among these the yard also has specialised ships for seabed mineral mining and luxury yachts in the order book.
How do you see the next 2 to 4 years given the low oil price and uncertainty as to the level of activity in the offshore sector? Are there sufficient other types of vessel to go round?

– I believe the next few years will demand a great deal from everyone in the maritime industry. We face challenges in very many areas in what is perhaps the deepest crisis in our industry fora very long time. But at the same time its useful to pause for thought, reconsider operations and costs and tackle matters which have not been addressed during the many years of growth. I am an optimistic realist and believe the Norwegian maritime industry will also do well in the future. 

Kleven has been active in creating a living and attractive local society. How important is it to have local suppliers to work with? – It is absolutely important!  Local rela-tionships, close connections and short lines of communication make us efficient, competent and competitive, concludes Kleven’s CEO, Ståle Rasmussen.

See more about the centenarian on 
Kleven.no.