6.5 Notes from Seacaptain Ivar Garberg.
(First loaded on website in mars 1997)
Structural Dynamics.
- Nicholas Harper - Chief Consultant
- Harold Pass - Director
- Alan Whittaker - Managing Director
- John Clinton - Ship Inspector
- Tom Melling - Chairman of the Board, SD Group
Structural Dynamics was a newcomer on the Norwegian oil scene in 1980.
The company had performed a contract for Phillips Petroleum on the Ekofisk
field and for Occidental Oil on Claymore in British sector.
SD Director Harold Pass told in Norwegian press Dagbladet on Oct. 3rd 1980 that he and Ship Inspector John Clinton were to finish their assignment for their previous employer (Foster Wheeler) when the bid request for uprighting <<Kielland>>were received. Scot Kobus, the operation manager for this first uprighting attempt confirmed that he was contacted by Whittaker.
The bids were opened prior to bid committe meeting. Managing Director of Stavanger Drilling Sverre Bjørn Nilsen stated this was done for copying purpose??? The bid presented by Nicoverken contained no price and no details, only an outline procedure.The JV Nicoverken-SD Marine was picked because best price. Sverre Bjørn Nilsen stated in press VG 03.12.80 that Smit Internationals bid was 20 mill kr. above Nicoverken. (Smit Internationals bid was "no cure - no pay".)
The reason why Nicoverken-SD marine was picked is said to be pressure applied on the Insurance Pool by Stavanger Drilling's Managing Director Sverre Bjørn Nilsen through Storebrands Chairman of the Board Mr. Aarestrup. (Aarestrup later picked prior Statoil employee Jan Erik Langangen. as successor to Janik Lindbekk who left the Company for a position in Nordic Bank, Helsinki.) SD Marine had constructed a model of<<Kielland>> to demonstrate their technical procedure for the uprighting.
(Three persons seems to be heavily involved in the decision process regarding the selection of the first uprighting contractor , i.e. Managing Director of Stavanger Drilling Sverre Bjørn Nilsen, Managing Director of SD-Marine Alan Whittaker and Chairman of the Board of Storebrand Mr. Aarestrup.)
Sverre Bjørn Nilsen was a close friend of prior
Norwegian Consul General in Djakarta, Indonesia, later resident of Stavanger
Mr. Johan Brun. In 1974 Johan Brun invited Mr. Aarestrup of Storebrand
, Mr. H.J.Gram of Platou Invest, Storebrands Director of Finance Mr. H.J.Grundt
and Mr. Gunnar Block Watne as his guests to Djakarta.
Mr. H.J.Gram promoted the establishment of the Companies Stavanger Drilling
I A/S and Stavanger Drilling II A/S with ownership of <<Henrik Ibsen>>
and <<Alexander L. Kielland>> respectively. Storebrands financial
ownership involvment in <<Kielland>> is said to be 17% while
their total insurance exposure were 2 % after reassurance in Lloyds.
Johan Brun established his base in Indonesia in the beginning of the 1960's where he became Norways Consul General. Mr. Brun had good contacts with the Indonesian Regime. His company NORINDO A/S in Oslo had the same address as the Indonesian Consulate in Oslo. Bussines-wise Consul Brun was known to "cut corners". Prior to his engagement in Djakarta Johan Brun had worked several years out of New York. Among his aquintants were politicians and shipowners, among them Stolt Nilsen who became in charge of cutting of the bracing samples of the D-leg and the second uprighting attempt. Becomming Consul in Djakarta in the early 1960ties Johan Brun most likely had good contact with the Norwegian Labour Party who had been in power in Norway since the second World War.
In late 1960's Johan Brun's Company Norindo aquired a refrigator plant in Inverness, Scotland. The business is reported to involve narcotics. Narcotics distributed frozen down as part of the catering onboard supply ship. The name of the contraband ship between Scotland and Norway is reported to be <<ALK>>. <<Alexander L. Kielland>> is reported to be storage for narcotic trade betwen Scotland and Norway. The catering onboard <<Kielland>> was performed by people employed by Brown & Root (Norge) and Dolphin Services.
In 1972 Johan Brun established himself as an upper class resident in Stavanger were sayings tells he kept parties for the establishment involving young girls and narcotics. Norways General Prosecutor Rieber Mohn resided in Stavanger at that time as District Attorney.
From his time as Norwegian Consul General in Djakarta in the early 60's Johan Brun most likely have had good relationships with Norwegian authorities within the governing Labour party. Among his acquintants were mr. Sverre Bror Fugli in Stavanger Insurance Company later Director DnB in Bergen, and Thomas Egeberg at Aker Norsco who succeeded <<Kjakan Sønsteby>> as Director of Akers oil division. Sønsteby who had close relationship to Jens Christian Hauge, chairman of the Board of Statoil and key member of the Labour party.
Norindo Sun was the last supplyboat approaching <<Kielland>>
between 22.20 and 22.25 hours the night before the disaster.
Im. 6.5.1: Watchstanders morning report 27.03.1980
On the Board of Directors in Norindo A/S was Tor Kluge, lawyer and partner in lawfirm Kluge, Rage & Endresen in Stavanger.
Individuals of particular interest in addition to Sverre Bjørn Nilsen, Aarestrup and Alan Whittaker are Johan Brun, Tor Kluge, "Kjakan Sønsteby", Jens Christian Hauge, Gunnar Block Watne. Another person of interest is Bugge. Bugge was connected to Storebrand. He had previous worked in New York for the same employer as Johan Brun.
He later discovered that Endresen's partner Rage served as secretary to Rederforbundet i.e. the Shipowners Assosciation.
During his research work in USA Mr. Ostlund came across the name Kluge as member on the Board of Occidental Oil with Armand Hammer and the father of the later becomming US Vice President Albert Gore. Could there be a possible link? Erik Tiller who was employed by Mr. Ostlund assisting in making up the Business Plan for the establishment of OCO International Inc.USA, studied at Luthern Univarsity outside Los Angeles in California. Mr Tiller approached Mr. Oslund for a summer holliday job. When working at Mr Ostlund's office in Trondheim in the summer of 1986, Mr. Tiller initially suggested Mr. Ostlund to contact Occidental Oil in Caløifornia, in regard to Mr. Ostlund's business idea, i.e the subsea oil and gas production system BOPROD. Mr. Ostlunds research on Armand Hammer, his background as a jewish refugee from Russia, personal contact with Lenin, Libya's Ghaddaffi and several high influential US Official and politicians are intersteresting.
During his further research work in Norway, the name Kluge appeared in close connectiion with the Mot Dag family name, Hansteen, ref: The left wing revolutionary MOT DAG movement. quote;
"When Paal Berg after the War in summer 1945 failed to establish a coalition government, the Mot Dag and Labour Party member Einar Gerhardsen was appointed Prime Minister. Jens Christian Hauge became Secretary to the Prime Minister. On June 3rd 1945 General Ruge replaced Crownprince Olav who at that time acted as Head of Defense. In November 1945 the Labour Party wins the Parliament election and Einar Gerhardsen continues as Prime Minister. Jens Chr. Hauge is appointed Secretary (Minister) of Defense. On January 1st 1946 General Ruge is forced to leave office as result of disagreement with Hauge. The position as Head of Defence is now vacant, non operative until 1963. The Mot Dag member Vilhelm Hansteen was appointed Head of the new Home Guard. The Mot Dag member Vilhelm Evang was appointed Head of Military Intelligence (E-tjenesten). In 1947 Vilhelm Hansteen was appointed Head of the Norwegian Brigade in Germany. Under an agreement made between the Norwegian Cabinet in London and the British in the end of the War, Norway agreed to provide a Division to assist in controlling British sector of the occupied Germay. The Norwegian support was delayed until 1947 and the promised Division reduced to a Brigade. Gerhardsen and Hauge did for various reasons not keep the promises made by their predesessors in London. Part of the goal of assisting the Brittish in Germany was that the operation should be the basis for in the field training and build up of the Norwegian army after the war. Demonstration against sending Norwegian females to Germany was part of the hampering. The campaign was initiated by Mot Dag, Kirsten Hansteen, Randi Kluge and Birgit Schiødt. Army General Lieutnant Olaf Helset makes serious complains and critisizes Hauge. As happened with General Ruge in 1946, Hauge forces Helset to leave office in 1948.", unqoute.
Notes added July 2004:
As to the link Kirsteen Hansteen - Randi Kluge - Birgit Schiødt.;ref: Leif C. Rolstad, "Tysklandsbrigaden Redskap for Hærens faglige gjenreisning", Aschehoug forlag 1983
Kirsteen Hansteen was widow after barrister Viggo Hansteen (Mot Dag) and appointed Minister in Gerhardsens first Cabinet in after WWII, 1945. She was elected to the Parliament for NKP, ref: Yngvar Ustvedt "Det skjedde i Norge 1945-52", side 253, bildetekst side 254.
The employer of Johan Brun and Bugge in New York was shipowner Dekke Ness, the father of late Arne Ness who for years was married to Diana Ross.
