Norwegian Hull Club - History

History

Assurance associations started in Norway in 1806. In 1837 the foundation seemed firmer and both Langesundfjordens Skibs Assuranceforening (later called Den Første Norske Assuranceforening) and Skibsassurance-foreningen in Arendal were established. These two clubs became the roots of UNITAS. Those were the days of white sails and a number of clubs were founded along the coast of Norway to offer financial service to the growing Norwegian merchant marine. Bergens Assuranceforening was founded in 1850.

In the middle of the nineteenth century the fleet of steamships expanded rapidly and the fastest growth was in Bergen. In order to cover the insurance needs of the steamships owned by the Bergen shipowners, Bergen Dampskibs-Assuranceforening was founded in 1879. Other steamship clubs were also founded around the coast, the most important in eastern Norway, Skibsassuranceforeningen Vidar in 1895.

Bergens Assuranceforening and Bergens Dampskibs-Assuranceforening merged in 1937 to form Bergen Hull Club. In 1951 UNITAS was formed through a merger of several clubs on the east coast of Norway led by Skibsassuranceforeningen Vidar. In the years to come UNITAS merged with the remaining clubs on the east and south coast of Norway.

In 2001 Bergen Hull Club and UNITAS merged to create Norwegian Hull Club. Norwegian Hull Club therefore carries forward the history of all the mutual hull clubs in Norway into a new century.

The purpose of the mergers has always been to create a more concentrated and rational operation - to the advantage of the shipowners who have demanded an increasingly higher level of competence and efficiency. Evolution means a constant development creating new entities with the consequential ending of others. Such evolution has been one of the important strengths of the mutual hull clubs. The clubs have always been able to adapt to changing conditions.