Tananger is a village in the municipality of Sola, in the county of Rogaland, Norway. Its population (2005) is 5,817, a near double from 1980 when 3,020 people lived there.
Tananger (mentioned in sources dated back to 1608), was used as a safe haven in times of bad weather. It was considered the best and deepest harbour north of Egersund. In 1650, as the lobster was valued for its worth as an export article, the village was gradually settled. Since then trading with lobster, fish as well as exclusive articles such as tobacco, coffee, and tea, that came with the bigger ships that sought port in storms, lead to the establishment of a customs station under Stavanger main office in 1777 and lasted until 1958.
The dangerous rocks in the seas just outside of Tananger made the waters so perilous that a pilotage service existed as early as 1679, but was organised in 1720 under national control. Tananger upholds its pilotage service to this day, but the customers are mostly supertankers and merchant vessels.
During the Napoleonic wars canon-mounted rowing boats were stationed in Tananger. During the first world war Norwegian navy vessels were stationed here for neutrality-watch.
In 1965 the oil adventure started with Aker-Norsco establishing in Tananger as one of the first supply bases to the offshore activities. (Source: Tanangers minne)
Now, several oil-companies are located here -including Shell and Schlumberger in Risavika.
