InterManager, the international trade association for the ship management industry, has expressed its gratitude to Svein Sorlie, one of the founding members of the association’s pan-industry Shipping KPI Project who has retired from shipping.
Mr Sorlie, former Group Senior Vice President at Wilh. Wilhelmsen Holding ASA, has been involved with the Shipping Key Performance Indicator Project since its start in 2006. Mr Sorlie chaired the project’s Steering Committee.
Rajaish Bajpaee, vice chairman on the KPI Steering Committee, recalled how Mr Sorlie was instrumental in launching the project. “When I was President of InterManager’s fore-runner, ISMA, Svein challenged me that we should develop a standard yardstick to measure the operational performance of a ship which would be applicable and acceptable to all stakeholders within our industry.
He continued: “The two of us then joined forces to conceptualise, plan and organise a way forward – so it is absolutely fair to say that it was Svein who gave birth to this noble project.”
George Hoyt, InterManager Vice Chairman, said: “Under Svein’s leadership, the Shipping KPI Project has progressed in stages successfully from the development of the methodology, the KPIs, definitions and validation to the communication model, benchmarking tool design and depository. At the same time he has spear-headed promotion of awareness of the project throughout the wider industry. Thanks to this untiring commitment the Shipping KPI Project has gathered growing support from InterManager members and numerous international shipping associations, including the IMO and European Union.”
Svein Sorlie has been involved in shipping since gaining his Masters degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from The Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim (NTNU) in 1974. Having served with the Royal Norwegian Navy he began his shore career with Det Norske Veritas.
He was President and CEO of leading ship management company Barber International for 17 years. The company later merged into Wilhelmsen Maritime Services and was renamed Wilhelmsen Ship Management.
Alastair Evitt, InterManager President, said: “Over the years, Svein has given tremendous service to InterManager. We thank him for all his excellent work, particularly with the KPI Project, which we hope will continue to be a project he can be proud of, and we wish him all the best in his retirement.”