The company is new, but founded by industry veterans with long experience from seafood and the wider ocean industries – also known as the blue economy.

“Competition is healthy; it sharpens performance, drives improvement and benefits the market. This is a key motivation for establishing BlueIQ,” says Per Håkon Stenhaug, CEO and majority owner of BlueIQ.

“We want to contribute to the development of an industry that is both global and strongly regionally anchored. The blue economy has always, regardless of borders, been characterized by trade across regions, flexibility and the sharing of people and knowledge. With BlueIQ, we build on this foundation – and on our own backgrounds as owners, leaders and decision-makers in this industry. That makes us better advisors,” adds Eirik Gonsholt Hansen, Chair of the Board and co-owner of BlueIQ.

Building on the entire blue value chain

BlueIQ’s focus is not limited to parts, but on the entire blue value chain: from traditional fisheries to modern aquaculture on sea and land, maritime industry, processing, sales, regulation, the critical supplier industry – and emerging energy solutions. The blue economy shares a common need for competence, innovation and profitability, and BlueIQ believes the value lies in seeing the whole chain as one.

“Our ownership background includes expertise from aquaculture technology, shipyards, engineering companies, company building, media, finance, recruitment and advisory within seafood and aquaculture – giving us insight into how vital this interplay really is,” says Nils-Johan Tufte, board member and co-owner through Bluegreen Future AS, which holds 25% of BlueIQ.

Collaboration as a strength

BlueIQ is still a small company – but with a wide network. To deliver comprehensive and robust services, the company relies on strategic collaboration with three other players, all with significant experience from the blue economy.

“We believe strongly in partnerships with integrated collaborators, where together we create a seamless and complete value chain for our clients. At the same time, these alliances give us the capacity to take on large and resource-intensive projects – and ensure solid deliveries,” says Gonsholt Hansen.

For people and businesses

“We can only hope for a positive reception in the industry – it’s by no means something we take for granted. Since I entered the seafood industry in 2009, I’ve learned that trust takes time to build, and it can disappear as quickly as ice cream on a summer’s day."

"That’s why our focus will be on delivering quality in the areas where we have the strongest experience: connecting people, strengthening competence and sharing knowledge across fisheries, aquaculture, the maritime industry and the supplier sector. In this way, we aim to contribute to better profitability, stronger competitiveness and a more secure future for both companies and the people who want to succeed in this industry,” says Per Håkon Stenhaug.