Denmark: Port of Esbjerg Opens New Østhavn Harbour

The Port of Esbjerg’s new Østhavn (“East Harbour”) opened on Friday, 21 June. This 650,000 square metre expansion of the harbour will consolidate Esbjerg’s position as the leading North Sea port for the wind turbine industry and increase its potential to develop and grow other business areas.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Danish Minister for Transport and followed by a harbour festival with fun and entertainment for the entire city of Esbjerg.

The Port of Esbjerg celebrated the opening of its new Østhavn harbour on Friday, 21 June. This new section of the harbour covers 650,000 square metres, the equivalent of about 100 football pitches. It has taken two years to build and represents an investment of more than DKK 500m.

Representatives from the wind turbine industry will be the first to move into the area, which features facilities specially designed for testing, pre-assembly and shipping of offshore wind turbines. Yet the Østhavn is also designed to accommodate the needs of the oil and gas industry, as well as trailer (ro-ro) and container operators.

“Handling offshore wind turbine traffic has become more and more demanding with respect to infrastructure and harbour facilities. Our new Østhavn is big enough for even the largest of wind turbines. Having that capacity is crucial in the ever-more competitive market for offshore wind projects,” says Port Director Ole Ingrisch, and he continues: “The Østhavn is a symbol of the powerful ‘Energy Metropolis’ we have all helped to create in Esbjerg. We would like to celebrate this event together with everyone in Esbjerg and the many thousand people who come to work at Esbjerg Harbour every day. They are a big part of the reason why Esbjerg Harbour has grown into one of the most vibrant and powerful ports on the North Sea.”

Consolidating the position as a strong international harbour

Henrik Dam Kristensen, the Minister for Transport, joined Esbjerg’s Mayor Johnny Søttrup and the Chairman of the Port of Esbjerg, Flemming Enevoldsen, to conduct the official opening at 13:30 on Friday.

Flemming Enevoldsen is pleased with the new harbour opening, which marks the culmination of the harbour’s development and growth over the past ten years:

“The Østhavn gives us the capacity to meet demand in our three main business areas and more room for new and exciting activities in the future. Pretty much all the new areas have been rented out, so our strategic targets have been right on the mark.”

The official ribbon cutting and opening ceremony was followed by a festival of events for all of Esbjerg.

[mappress]

Press release, June 24, 2013; Image: portesbjerg