Thomas Nilsen

Sunrise could come for nuclear-powered submarine tanker

Sailing under the ice north of Siberia is cheaper than crushing through, a concept study concludes.
December 17, 2019

Asian investment bank loans $98 million to upgrading E105 highway in Karelia

This is the first time the bank invests money in the main road running from St. Petersburg to the Norwegian border.
December 17, 2019

Nuclear-powered container ship sailed 3,000 nm to change propellers in lack of floating dock up north

After the floating dock SD-50 sank at Roslyakovo yard north of Murmansk last fall “Sevmorput” now had to sail all around Scandinavia to St. Petersburg to find a dock large enough.
December 15, 2019

Equinor drops plan for oil transfer terminal near North Cape

This Arctic beauty spot will remain exactly that; a beauty spot.
December 13, 2019

World’s largest nuclear icebreaker starts sea trials

Painted in the Russia’s flag’s tricolor, the new «Arktika» sailed out to the Gulf of Finland on Thursday for a two-days test voyage.
December 12, 2019

Trouble-hit aircraft carrier catches fire in Murmansk

The fire on "Admiral Kuznetsov" at yard No. 35 started during welding work in one of the engine rooms.
December 12, 2019

Rovaniemi invests in trans-Arctic communication cable

The capital of northern Finland adds another €200,000 to the second phase of the project aimed at linking Europe with Asia via a fiber cable along the Northern Sea Route.
December 11, 2019

Alleged terrorist indicted for planning to blow up Murmansk authorities building

The Federal Security Service claims the arrested man is a supporter of the Right Sector extremist organization.
December 11, 2019

Arctic Council creates new expert group on nuclear emergencies

The Arctic countries take major steps to prepare strategies and share information to improve preparedness in case of radiological and nuclear incidents.
December 11, 2019

Turkish Airlines opens flight between Istanbul and Rovaniemi

The new route is the first long distance to Rovaniemi and the local tourism hope it will bring more visitors from the Middle East.
December 09, 2019

Pages

Thomas Nilsen is editor of the Independent Barents Observer with its news desk located in Kirkenes, northern Norway. He has a long experience in media cooperation across the borders in the high north of Europe, both as radio- and newspaper reporter all the way back to the days before the breakup of the Soviet Union. 

Nilsen has been editor of Barents Observer since 2009.

He was Deputy Head of the Norwegian Barents Secretariat from 2004-2009. Until 2003, he worked 12 years for the Bellona Foundation’s Russian study group, focusing on nuclear safety issues and general environmental challenges in northern areas and the Arctic. 

Thomas has been traveling extensively across northern Scandinavia and Arctic Russia since the late 80’s working for different media and organizations. He is also a guide at sea and in remote locations in the Russian north for various groups and regularly lectures on security issues, environmental and socio-economic development.

Thomas Nilsen studied at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

Mobile: +47-90573143

thomas@thebarentsobserver.com
@nilsen.thomas