Nordic Mining threatens bankruptcy

The Bergen / Vestland news over the past 48 hours revolves around three main stories: the threat of bankruptcy hanging over mining group Nordic Mining, the arrest of five people suspected of overcharging NATO by more than 10 million kroner, and the cash-flow crisis gripping football club Åsane. On the cultural side, the Bergen Internasjonale Filmfestival (BIFF) screened "Markens grøde," the Norwegian Oscar entry, on Thursday.

Bergen / Vestland news: Nordic Mining weighs bankruptcy

Mining group Nordic Mining, based in Vestland, warned on Wednesday that it may have to file for bankruptcy if it cannot secure liquidity quickly. The information appears in a stock-exchange announcement issued after an extraordinary general meeting (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

"If we cannot find a solution, the only alternative will be to file for bankruptcy," board chair Kjell Roland told the meeting. He said the company had made repeated attempts to raise funds without managing to secure sufficient short-term cash. The board says it has very little time.

Nordic Mining communications head Tone Løtuft declined to answer questions from NRK. The case has dragged on for years: repeated financial difficulties and sustained opposition from environmental movements have marked the group's activity in the county.

NATO fraud: five arrests in the Bergen area

Five people were detained at their homes in the Bergen area on Wednesday. Økokrim, Norway's economic crime unit, suspects them of overcharging for services rendered to NATO vessels in Norwegian ports (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

The five men are charged with aggravated fraud or complicity. The work in question was carried out along the entire Norwegian coast, and those involved work or have worked for the same company. The overcharging totals more than 10 million kroner over the period from 2021 to 2025, according to Økokrim.

The investigation began after NATO itself suspected overcharging by the company. A series of searches was carried out in the Bergen area as part of a coordinated international police operation. "This is a very serious case," senior public prosecutor Marianne Bender told NRK. The Local Norway also confirms the arrests.

Åsane: no cash to pay October wages

Football club Åsane, which plays in the 1. divisjon, cannot afford to pay October wages in full, reports Bergensavisen. The cash shortage has been known for some time; the situation is now described as critical.

"It is true that today we do not have the liquidity needed to meet all our obligations for October and November," CEO Trygve Amundsen told the paper.

Wages are due at the end of the month, giving management a few weeks to find funds. According to Bergensavisen, the shortfall runs into millions of kroner.

Culture: "Markens grøde" screened at BIFF

The film "Markens grøde," Norway's entry for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film, was screened at the opening of the Bergen Internasjonale Filmfestival on Thursday, with a green carpet laid out in front of the venue (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

Starlink gains ground in Vestland

In Vestland county, several households and small businesses are switching from local fibre to Starlink satellite internet, reports NRK Bergen / Vestland. In Stord, the editor-in-chief of Stord24, Jonas Sætre, installed an antenna on his roof this summer.

"The hardest part was drilling a hole in the wall. After that, it was very simple to get it working," he explains. His former subscription with Haugaland Kraft cost 849 kroner a month; he says the switch to satellite saves him several thousand kroner a year.

📌 Local briefs

Several shorter items round out these Bergen / Vestland updates. The Statsforvalteren i Vestland has opened an extended tilsyn following the death of a five-week-old baby in Bergen this summer; both parents are charged, the father with involuntary manslaughter and the mother with leaving the child without assistance. The cause of death has not been established, with the final autopsy still awaited (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

Two men are charged in a major drug case in Bergen — 137 kilos of cocaine, 25 kilos of hashish and 3 kilos of amphetamine — including a student at NHH; they are also charged with aggravated money laundering of 240,000 kroner (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

A report on the Bybanen, published and discussed on Wednesday evening, is according to the fylkesordfører of Vestland "not entirely accurate." Bergensavisen also reports that an alpaca farm was listed on Finn.no for zero kroner, and that a new bar has opened in Skuteviken (Bergens Tidende).

Sources: NRK Bergen / Vestland, Bergens Tidende, The Local Norway — Period: 14 October 2026 and 15 October 2026