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Greenpeace blocking Svalbard coal shipment
Svalbard is the Norwegian Arctic archipelago located about midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole.
Three large islands dominate the archipelago - the Spitsbergen, Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. The largest settlement is Longyearbyen.
The Svalbard Treaty (1920) recognises Norwegian sovereignty over Svalbard and the 1925 Svalbard Act makes Svalbard a full part of the Kingdom of Norway.
Coal mining is the main industry on the archipelago. In addition, research and tourism have developed rapidly over the last years.
Svalbard has a major Russian settlement based in the mining town of Barentsburg.
Svalbard in 2005 had a population of approximately 2,400 people, of which about 55% were Norwegians and 45% Russian, Ukrainian and Polish. Over the last years, natives from several other countries have moved to the area to engage in the international research projects.
Mining company will reduce workforce
Coal Miner at Svalbard
Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Svalbard’s coal mining company, Store Norske, will reduce its workforce by 90 employees.
Due to the financial crises the coal prizes fall from USD 175 last autumn to USD 53 at its lowest the first half year 2009, and is no around USD 70 per ton, reports Svalbardposten.
The state-owned Store Norske has offered all its employees aged 55 to 60 an early retirement incentive. The number of employees will be reduced from 400 by the end of 2007 to 310 by the end of next year. The goal is to reduce the workforce down to 250 within 2015, Svalbardposten reports.
Store Norske produce coal from the Svea Nord mine at Svalbard.
