A Norwegian billionaire announced he wants to contribute to society by giving away the “lion’s share” of his fortune, including funds for an oceanographic research vessel for the scientific community.
Kjell Inge Rokke, Norway’s 10th richest man with an estimated fortune of €2.0 billion will pay an undisclosed sum for the 181-metre vessel to be launched in 2020.
Among other things, it will be used to conduct research on plastics in the ocean. The world’s oceans are expected to contain more plastic waste than fish by 2050, because of the massive use of the material, the World Economic Forum in Davos concluded in January.
“I want to give back to society the lion’s share of what I’ve earned,” the 58-year-old businessman, who made billions in the fisheries and oil-and-gas sectors, told the Norwegian daily Aftenposten.