Early History of the Maritime Administration

The Maritime Administration has existed in Sweden in various forms for many hundreds of years. It was originally subject to the King and the Navy.

In 1950 the Government established a maritime organization committee with the task "to examine how the human and material resources of the maritime transport area, which were now available in several different administrations, could best be utilized. If the inquiry found that these resources should be combined into a single body, such proposal should be submitted."

The study consisted of six members under the leadership of the governor Gösta Widell, and the result was Kungliga Sjöfartsstyrelsen (Royal Board of Shipping an Navigation) founded on Jan. 1, 1956.

The lightship Ölands Rev was replaced by a lighhouse in 1951

The new administration would consist of:

• The entire Royal Pilot Service, 1,500 people of which 45 were located in Stockholm,
• The entire Kungliga Sjökarteverket (Royal Hydrographic Office), 80 people plus military personnel during the summer months,
• Parts of Sjöfartsbyrån (the Maritime Bureau) the tonnage measurement system,
• the State's ice-breaking activities, maritime prosecutor and Marine consultants and ship inspection, all from the National Board,
• Port Office and some channels from Kungliga Väg- och Vattenbyggnadsverket (the Royal Road- and Waterbuilding administration).

Royal Pilot Board had during this time its premises in the former National Bank building, built in 1780, and located between Järntorget and Skeppsbron. In the same house were also rooms for the Middle District pilots, pilot offices and attendance for pilots, the Stockholm pilot district as well as rooms for some pilots who belonged to the lake Mälarens pilot district. Pilot Service was under the trade ministry and in 1955 the General piloting Director was Torsten Peterson. Only about 50 people worked at the head office.

The Royal Pilot Service consisted of six pilot districts: Upper North (Umeå), the Lower North (Gävle), Central (Stockholm), Eastern (Kalmar), Southern (Malmö) and West (Gothenburg). Each district was ruled administratively and financially from its pilot districts expedition with a pilot director as manager. Subject to each district, were all lighthouse- and pilot stations, lightship (in the country a total of 17 ships with a total crew of 156 personnel) and the crews of work and service ships. Each district had its own service vessels, where the pilot director had his own cabin. On Rosenvik in central Stockholm, there were workshops, shipyards and stores.

Sjökarteverket, which was under the Defense Ministry, had since 1872 a separate building on Skeppsholmen. In 1955 Richard Edman was Director General of Sjökarteverket (Royal Hydrographic Office). He became Director General of Kungliga Sjöfartsstyrelsen (the Board of Shipping and Navigation).

Sjökarteverket, which consisted of 95 people, was devided into a nautical chart department, a Hydrographic survey departement, an earth magnetic department and a technical department. The earth magnetic Department, handled the ship compasses and their deviation and measurement of the compass declination in our waters. They were also responsible for the control of lanterns and other nautical instruments. Head of this department was dr. Ambolt.

In the mid-50's all the original charts were still on copperplates. You could not print more than about 30 charts per day with copperplate printing. It was substantial work to make a change on a copper plate. At  the chart store, a couple of employees were constantly engaged in changing the already finished charts.

During the summer time there were about 225 people from the Navy commanded to Sjökarteverket to crew 7 Hydrographic survey vessels and Decca stations.

Kommerskollegium was under the trade ministry and the was the chief administration for, among other things, ship inspection and the tonnage measurement system, Marine consultant and maritime prosecutor, navigation schools, explosives inspection and the state electrical inspection.

It was, therefore, the sections which dealt with the vessels, safety and measuring, icebreaking and maritime prosecutor that was transferred to the Maritime Administration. About 70 people worked at the Headquarter and in the inspection districts.

Kungliga Sjöfartsstyrelsen (the Board of Shipping an Navigation)
The maritime inquiry was completed in July 1954 and it then took less than a year and a half before Kungliga Sjöfartsstyrelsen (the Board of Shipping and Navigation) was formed in 1956. Widell became Director General of the Administration which consisted of seven agencies: a nautical, an administrative, a legal, a social, a ship, a nautical chart, a lighthouse and electrical and a building Agency. In addition, there were an economic division and a defense office.

The regional organization at that time was very comprehensive with all the piloting districts, piloting and lighthouse stations, inspection districts, channels, fish ports, etc.

The Administration has to date been reorganized several times. In 1969 a number of offices were put together to form a service department, Sjöfartsinspektionen (The Swedish Maritime Safety Inspectorate) was formed. The marina and fishing ports, and the geomagnetic activities was transferred to other administrations. It would no longer be a royal administration, but purely and simply Sjöfartsverket (Swedish Maritime Administration). This organization functioned until 1987 when it became a public service company with virtually the organization that exists today.