THE INTERNATIONAL LAWYER, Jens Evensen, was handpicked by the Norwegian Foreign Minister, Halvard Lange (arguably the most internationally respected leader of our foreign service to date), to be the new head of the Ministry's Legal Department in 1961. He had distinguished himself ten years earlier, in the case brought by Great Britain against Norway at the International Court of Justice concerning a disputed sea territory in the North Sea. Norway won the case and Evensen was rewarded with the St Olav's Order by the King. His name started to grow.

Norway proclaimed supremacy over the Continental shelf by Royal Decree on 31 May 1963 and a Law of 21 June confirmed the Norwegian state as the rightful owner of any natural resources within 200 nautical miles based on the middle line principle between the North Sea countries. Norway was the new sea owner and could give Norwegian and foreign companies access to exploration in the future. The Norwegian Vikings had occupied new, rich, submarine land as big as Norway itself in a daring raid, using a new and untried weapon in international law. During the hard discussions with Great Britain about the rights to the new riches The Observer wrote about this special Norwegian negotiator who descended from a long line of pirates. Jens enjoyed that. Norway had gained an advantage by measuring the middle line, not just from the coastline, but from the outer islands, rocks and skerries and getting acceptance for this ‘piracy’. It meant that Norway just secured Ekofisk and an important future field, Statfjord. The agreements with Great Britain and Denmark were completed in 1965 and a comprehensive Petroleum Law was introduced by Royal Decree on 25 September 1967, regulating the gathering storm of concessions and production. Then just before Christmas in 1969 the oil rig Ocean Viking hit the first jackpot in the Ekofisk field. Some Christmas present. The first, and by no means the last, oil. We had become the blue eyed Arabs of the North and the new sea imperialists, but Russia was waiting for us as we sailed against an easterly wind into the Barents Sea, holding rigs.