Arne Rinnan

Last updated
Arne Frode Rinnan
Born10 November 1940
Oslo
NationalityNorwegian
OccupationShip's captain
Employer Wallenius Wilhelmsen
Known forHis role in the Tampa affair
Awards Nansen Refugee Award 2001
Royal Norwegian Order of Merit
Name of the Year

Arne Frode Rinnan is the former captain of the MV Tampa, which in 2001 was refused access to Australia to disembark 433 rescued refugees - in what became known as the Tampa affair. Rinnan and his crew were awarded the Nansen Refugee Award in 2002.

Contents

Early life

Rinnan was born on 10 November 1940 in Oslo, Norway) [1] to parents, Louise Mari "Lillemor" Devold and Frode Rinnan, who moved from Ålesund in 1939.[ citation needed ]

Career

The MV Tampa in 2009 Wallenius Wilhelmsen - MV Tampa.JPG
The MV Tampa in 2009

Rinnan worked as the captain of the MV Tampa owned by Norwegian shipping line Wallenius Wilhelmsen. [2] [3]

Tampa Affair

On 26 August 2001, the MV Tampa was on its way from Fremantle in Australia to Singapore, when the Australian Maritime Safety Authority requested the crew to go to the aid of The Palapa, a 25-meter vessel in distress that was transporting 433 refugees. [3] The crew rescued the refugees, most of whom were Hazara Afghans, along with Pakistanis and Sri Lankans. [3] [4] Captain Rinnan directed his ship towards the nearest port, in Indonesia, but some refugees broke into the bridge and forced him to proceed to Christmas Island in Australian waters. [3] The MV Tampa arrived at Christmas Island on August 27, but Australian authorities blocked the refugees from disembarking; the refugees subsequently went on hunger strike. [3] Contrary to instructions from the Australian authorities, Rinnan moved the MV Tampa further into Australian territorial waters. [3] Australian armed forced boarded the vessel and demanded a change of course towards international waters, but Rinnan refused, citing the health needs of the refugees. [3] The Norwegian government publicly rebuked the Australian government for its actions. [3]

ABC news report by Margot O'Neill on the Tampa affair and its political context, October 2001.

On August 30, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mary Robinson urged the Australian government to allow the disembarkation of the refugees. [3] Australian Prime Minister John Howard robustly rejected the request, but proposed a compromise that saw the refugees being transported to Nauru, via Papua New Guinea. [3] The crisis ended on September 2, 2001. [4]

Tampa Affair aftermath

In 2001, Rinnan was made a knight of the 1st class of Royal Norwegian Order of Merit and was named Captain of the Year by the British Nautical Institute and Lloyds' List shipping journal. [3] [1] [5] Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet named Rinnan the 2001 Name of the Year . [3] United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees awarded Rinnan and his crew the Nansen Refugee Prize for 2002. [3] [6]

In 2002, Rinnan his crew were awarded the Norwegian Medaljen for redningsdåd til sjøs [no] . (English Medal for Sea Rescue) [3]

Nansen Award Nansen medal(Small).jpg
Nansen Award

Arne Rinnan retired from his position as captain in 2002. [4]

Personal life

Rinnan lives with his family in the city of Kongsberg. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

MV <i>Tampa</i> Container ship built in 1984

MV Tampa was a roll-on/roll-off container ship completed in 1984 by Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. in South Korea for the Norway-based firm, Wilhelmsen Lines Shipowning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johan Sebastian Welhaven</span> Norwegian writer

Johan Sebastian Cammermeyer Welhaven was a Norwegian author, poet, critic, and art theorist. He has been considered "one of the greatest figures in Norwegian literature."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hjalmar Johansen</span> Norwegian polar explorer

Fredrik Hjalmar Johansen was a Norwegian polar explorer. He participated on the first and third Fram expeditions. He shipped out with the Fridtjof Nansen expedition in 1893–1896, and accompanied Nansen to notch a new Farthest North record near the North Pole. Johansen also participated in the expedition of Roald Amundsen to the South Pole in 1910–1912.

<i>Tampa</i> affair 2001 Australian political crisis and diplomatic dispute with Norway

In late August 2001, the Howard government of Australia refused permission for the Norwegian freighter MV Tampa, carrying 433 rescued refugees and 5 crew, to enter Australian waters. This triggered an Australian political controversy in the lead-up to the 2001 federal election, and a diplomatic dispute between Australia and Norway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otto Sverdrup</span> Norwegian sailor and explorer

Otto Neumann Knoph Sverdrup was a Norwegian sailor and Arctic explorer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arne Skouen</span> Norwegian journalist, author, film director and film producer

Arne Skouen was a Norwegian journalist, author, film director and film producer.

<i>Ruddock v Vadarlis</i> Judgement of the Federal Court of Australia

Ruddock v Vadarlis was an Australian court case decided in the Federal Court of Australia on 18 September 2001. It concerned the actions of the Government of Australia in preventing asylum seekers aboard the Norwegian cargo vessel MV Tampa from entering Australia in late August 2001. The Victorian Council for Civil Liberties, and solicitor Eric Vadarlis, were seeking a writ of habeas corpus. The case is significant because it is one of the few cases to consider the nature and scope of the prerogative power of the executive branch of Government in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frode Haltli</span> Norwegian accordion player

Frode Haltli, is a Norwegian accordion player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odd Nansen</span> Norwegian architect, author, and humanitarian (1901–1973)

Odd Nansen was a Norwegian architect, writer, and humanitarian. He is credited with being a co-founder of UNICEF and for his humanitarian efforts on behalf of Jews in the early years of World War II.

Events in the year 1930 in Norway.

Events in the year 1945 in Norway.

Events in the year 1968 in Norway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicolai Cleve Broch</span> Norwegian actor

Nicolai Cleve Broch is a Norwegian theatre and film actor. He rose to national fame playing one of the leading roles in the 2002 drama series Lekestue, which aired on NRK in 2002. He is also known for playing the protagonist in Buddy, a romantic comedy from 2003. Other major film credits include Uno, Uro and Den siste revejakta. More recently, Cleve Broch was nominated for an Amanda Award for his portrayal of World War II resistance fighter Gregers Gram in Max Manus. Often appearing alongside Aksel Hennie, the two have been referred to as "Norway's Ben Affleck and Matt Damon".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia–Norway relations</span> Bilateral relations

Diplomatic relations between the Commonwealth of Australia and the Kingdom of Norway were established in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eva Nansen</span> Opera singer

Eva Helene Nansen was a celebrated Norwegian mezzo-soprano singer. She was also a pioneer of women's skiing.

Events in the year 2012 in Norway.

Events in the year 2017 in Norway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 Nansen Refugee Award</span>

The 1984 Nansen Refugee Award given to Lewis Hiller, Jeff Kass and Gregg Turay, three American seaman, for their 1983 rescue of 85 Vietnamese boat people in rough seas. The three men worked on the 94,000-ton tanker merchant vessel USS Rose City. The award was made by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Events in the year 2019 in Norway.

Events in the year 2022 in Norway.

References

  1. 1 2 Lundbo, Sten (2021-03-23), "Arne Rinnan", Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian Bokmål), retrieved 2022-12-03
  2. ↑ Jason Burke, Jason; Brace, Matthew (2001-09-02). "All Australia can offer is guano island". the Guardian. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Tampa-saken in Store norske leksikon
  4. 1 2 3 "'Life has to go on': Captain Arne Rinnan on the day the Tampa changed Australia". SBS News. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  5. ↑ "Årets kaptein". dagbladet.no (in Norwegian). 2001-10-17. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  6. ↑ "Captain, crew and owner of "Tampa" win Nansen Award for rescue at sea". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  7. ↑ "Lost on land, reborn at sea". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2004-08-27. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.