Shipping History: A Unique Look into a Dark Side of Oil History

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Targe Lehr-Salvesen delved into archives and interviewed eyewitnesses, including ship owners, sailors, and political activists. The story that unfolds offers a unique perspective on a dark side of Norwegian shipping history. South Africa’s apartheid regime led to international boycotts and political, economic, and cultural sanctions. In the 1980s, the United Nations discouraged oil trade with South Africa, and in 1987, Norway imposed an embargo on oil shipments to the country. But South Africa never lacked oil. Norwegian ship owners were among those who profited immensely from supplying the brutal state apparatus with oil—aided by criminal middlemen and clandestine operations. Much of the oil sold at inflated prices came from another terrorist regime: Iran. Targe Lehr-Salvesen has over 25 years of experience in journalism, having worked for prestigious media outlets such as NRK Brennpunkt, Fædrelandsvennen, Dagbladet, and Klassekampen. He has served on the public relations committee of the Pressens Foundation and was a fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University. He currently works as a freelance investigative journalist.