OSLO Norwegian investor Kjell Inge Roekke plans to make large donations from his estimated $2 billion wealth, starting with the construction and operation of a ship for research on ocean conditions and clean-up, he told daily Aftenposten on Tuesday.
The vessel, which will operate in partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature’s Norwegian unit, will have a crew of 30 and will offer space for up to 60 scientific staff.
“I’ll give back to society the lion’s share of what I’ve earned. This ship is a part of that,” Roekke (58) said.
He did not reveal the cost of the vessel or say which donations he would make, Aftenposten added.
The self-made billionaire is the majority shareholder of holding company Aker ASA, which in turn controls oil firm Aker BP and oil industry suppliers Aker Solutions and Kvaerner, among others.
(Reporting by Terje Solsvik; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)
