THISTED / FREDERICIA / NYBORG: Thisted Municipality and Associated Danish Ports A/S (ADP) have entered into an agreement on joint ownership of Hanstholm Havn through the establishment of the company Hansholm Havn AS. This is stated by ADP in a press release. This means that the plans that DOI.dk could report on in December are now a reality.
ADP, which is owned by Nyborg and Fredericia municipalities with Fredericia as the main shareholder, will take over the majority shareholding with 51 percent of the shares in Hanstholm Havn, while Thisted Municipality will retain 49 percent. From 1 August 2025, Hanstholm Port will no longer be municipally run, but part of the port company ADP's portfolio. According to the draft agreement from December, ADP will invest DKK 63 million in the new company, while Thisted Municipality will contribute DKK 60 million. However, in the press release, the parties do not confirm the financial details.
- Running a municipal port presents challenges commercially, which is why we have been working purposefully towards a different company form for the last two years. This will now happen with the new ownership structure, which I am sure will be a success, says Niels Jørgen Pedersen (V), mayor of Thisted, and continues:
- Hanstholm Port has a long history, where it has been a great asset to the local area throughout the years. With the new collaboration with ADP, I am sure that we can accelerate the development of Hanstholm Port for the benefit of the entire local area.
Believe in a new era of prosperity for Hanstholm Port
Hanstholm Port, which has a central role in fishing and cargo handling and has ambitions for a future in offshore wind, became municipally owned in 2023 after a number of years as a self-governing port. This happened after a period of major financial problems for the port.
A port expansion of over 600 million DKK did not lead to any significant new income. The port was therefore left with an unmanageable debt in relation to a turnover of approximately 33 million DKK. The politicians in Thisted Municipality therefore decided to take over the operation of the port, which came into effect on 1 January 2023.
But the municipal status is soon a thing of the past. The agreement aims to strengthen the competitiveness and development opportunities of the Port of Hanstholm. ADP already operates the ports of Fredericia and Nyborg and sees Hanstholm as a strategic addition that can create synergy between the three ports.
The ambition of ADP's ownership is to strengthen the position of the Port of Hanstholm in the Danish port sector and support the development of new business areas. According to the company, the cooperation between the ports of Fredericia, Nyborg and Hanstholm can help improve competitiveness at both national and international levels.
- The core of ADP is to consolidate and create strategic collaborations across ports. We are good at developing and operating ports, and we have ambitions for much more. We have great faith that the Port of Hanstholm can usher in a new era of glory and look forward to exploring business potential that can make the port stronger. At the same time, we are convinced that the synergies between Nyborg, Fredericia and Hanstholm will benefit our customers and, on a more general level, also support Denmark as an import and export nation, says Rune D. Rasmussen, CEO of ADP.
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