Kian Reme, head of the Kielland Foundation and the Kielland Network.

Odd Kristian “Kian” Reme is a priest and politician, but he is perhaps best known as the spokesperson for relatives and survivors of the Alexander L. Kielland disaster. As the head of the Kielland Fund and later the Kielland Network, Kian has spent a lifetime fighting for justice and answers for survivors and the bereaved. Kian himself lost his brother, Rolf Reme, in the accident.

The Kielland Fund was founded on October 27th, 1981. One of the goals of the fund was to promote safety in the North Sea, as well as advocate for financial compensation for those affected by the Kielland accident.  This work led to a series of legal battles, conducted both at home and abroad in the USA.

Another important contribution from the Kielland Fund was the spread of information to survivors and the bereaved. This was done through both direct correspondence and the Kielland Fund’s newsletters.

The Kielland Fund was also heavily involved in efforts to overturn the capsized rig. This was important both because it was believed that most of the missing were still inside the wreck and to get answers to questions about the causes of the accident. From the archives, it can be seen that the explosion theory  was a significant concern for the Kielland Fund.[REMOVE]Fotnote: Skanna materiale: Stavanger politikammer, SAST/A-100361/002/G/Ga/Gab/Gabb/L0372: Justissaker 1823, 1980, s. 605 – Skanna arkiver – Arkivverket (digitalarkivet.no) Read more about several issues in the Kielland Fund’s board minutes from 1981-1995.[REMOVE]Fotnote: http://Skanna materiale: Pa 1660 – Kielland- fondet, SAST/A-102242/A/Aa/L0001: Styreprotokoll Kielland- fondet, 1981-1995 – Skanna arkiver – Arkivverket (digitalarkivet.no)

The Kielland Fund was disbanded in 1996.

In 2016, new interest arose in the Kielland case in connection with the “Råolje” book project at the University of Stavanger. The book received quite a response, and thereby illustrated that many had unfinished business with Kielland. As a result, the Kielland Fund was reestablished under the name “Kielland Network” on the initiative of Reme in collaboration with other relatives and representatives of the labor movement. They demanded open hearings and a new official investigation into the accident.

After some public debate, the Norwegian Parliament decided in the summer of 2019 that the Office of the Auditor General should review the government’s handling of the accident. In 2021, the Office of the Auditor General concluded that there was no basis for reopening the investigation into the accident.

Authorship:
Kian has written about his work in the book “The Battle for Kielland“.
Kian has also written the book “Kielland – 89 Questions.” which can be read here.