First Industry Site Visit for HNDIC Members and Partners
On Tuesday, 17 March, the High North Defence & Industry Cluster (HNDIC) conducted its first industry site visit for members and strategic partners. The visit was hosted by Haltbakk Group at its fuel and logistics facility in Fjelldal, Tjeldsund municipality, Northern Norway.
The site visit provided participants with an in-depth briefing on Haltbakk Group’s existing industrial infrastructure, including quay facilities and underground installations, as well as the company’s plans for upgrades and further expansion. Emphasis was placed on ongoing work related to land reclamation and the construction of a new quay, aimed at enhancing capacity, resilience, and operational readiness.
The delegation included logistics officers from the Royal Norwegian Navy (Haakonsvern), senior leadership from Ramsund Naval Base, and representatives from Forsvarsbygg (the Norwegian Defence Estates Agency). In addition, emergency preparedness authorities from the municipalities of Tjeldsund, Evenes, and Harstad participated, alongside the Mayor of Tjeldsund. Several HNDIC member companies were also represented.
The tour and subsequent discussions enabled constructive professional dialogue on dual-use infrastructure, operational requirements, and potential measures to further develop the site’s role in supporting regional and national preparedness, as well as allied reception, staging, and sustainment (RSOM) in the High North. Civil–military cooperation and the integration of industrial capabilities with defence and public-sector needs were recurring themes throughout the visit.
“This site visit clearly demonstrates some of the core missions of HNDIC: bringing together relevant actors across industry, defence, and government to strengthen cooperation, resilience, and industrial capability in the High North,” says Arne Dahlberg, managing director of HNDIC.
Looking ahead, HNDIC will continue to organize industry visits and strategic meeting arenas to facilitate knowledge sharing, partnerships, and concrete collaborative projects within defence- and preparedness-related industries in Northern Norway.
Haltbakk Group’s Fjelldal facility represents a key component of HNDIC’s maritime and logistics cluster, contributing to secure fuel supply, maritime support, and critical infrastructure relevant to both national defence and allied operations in the region.
Facts: Haltbakk Group
130 employees
Operates within fuel, energy, and logistics across all of Norway
14 vessels in national and international operations
Multiple barges with fuel and power-supply solutions
Owns and operates several fuel and logistics facilities along the coast, including the mountain facility in Tjeldsund municipality
