Loyalty has not been forgotten, in fact it has not been forgotten at all. Shipowner Jørgen Holm Christensen finds it difficult to understand why people he has worked with for many years do not comply with the verbal agreement.
A meeting back in 2012 in Rødbyhavn forms the framework for an agreement that has since been forgotten.
The meeting was attended by shipowner Jørgen Holm Christensen, his employee first officer Claus Sjømann and the shipowner's auditor Herluf Kielsgaard-Spicker. While Femern Bælt A/S was represented by CFO Allan H. Kristensen, financial manager Gregers Jensen and director of marine works Claus Iversen.
The purpose of the meeting was to terminate a ten-year contract between the shipowner and Femern Bælt A/S for guard ship patrolling. The work on the Fehmarnbelt connection was postponed indefinitely, and therefore Femern Bælt A/S would be released from their contractual obligations.
- My accountant calculated that we would receive 35 million DKK in compensation if the contract were to be terminated. The contract was for 60 million DKK. But Fehmarnbelt would not be involved in that at all. The agreement ended with me receiving six million DKK. At the same time, it was promised verbally that I would get the work when the work was resumed, Jørgen Holm Christensen says today.
Former employee and accountant confirm
That the verbal agreement was part of the compensation agreement is confirmed by accountant Herluf Kielsgaard-Spicker in a written statement available to DOI.dk. Here Kielsgaard-Spicker writes:
"Femern A/S and Jørgen Holm Christensen made a verbal "gentlemen's agreement" that Jørgen Holm Christensen would probably be compensated in full in the form of an allocation of work when/if the project was started. For political reasons, it could not be put in writing".
And the auditor further writes:
"Jørgen Holm Christensen was satisfied with this, as he expressed at the meeting that he had confidence in the people involved from Femern A/S and also wanted to help them out of the contract, and expressed that he had confidence that the cooperation would continue when the project was started".
It is also an interpretation that Claus Sjömann, who participated in the meeting, agrees with. He has worked for Jørgen Holm Christensen for 25 years, and it has resulted in work for Sund & Bælt, both when the Great Belt Link and the Øresund Bridge were built.
The now former employee, who is now working elsewhere and is close to retirement age, clearly remembers what happened during the meeting.
- Jørgen was promised work later on both patrol boats and inspection boats if he did not enforce his contract. Jørgen could have just docked the patrol ship JHC Miljø and then received payment for the ten years that the contract ran, says Claus Sjømann.
But even though the years passed after 2012, the shipowner and Claus Sjømann maintained close contact with Femern Bælt A/S.
- We have had many meetings with Claus Iversen, who promised each time that Jørgen would get the job. There was even talk about boat types and whether they should be new or old boats. Claus Iversen told Jørgen: “You will get the work we promised,” says Claus Sjømann.
He also has no doubt that Femern Bælt A/S is well aware that there is an agreement with Jørgen Holm Christensen.
- Claus Iversen made meeting notes and minutes at every meeting, says Claus Sjømann.
But so far the work has never come.
Major consequences
For Jørgen Holm Christensen, it has had major consequences for the shipowner.
- The sad thing is, I ended up going bankrupt because of this, says Jørgen Holm Christensen.
But he is still ready to work for Femern Bælt A/S, and he already has a vessel ready.
- I have a boat ready in Fredericia, says Jørgen Holm Christensen, and you can clearly feel the hope of working for Femern Bælt A/S again even after all the disappointments.
In the meantime, in addition to the many coffee meetings with Claus Iversen, he has also written to Femern Bælt A/S' chairman of the board Mikkel Hemmingsen in the hope of achieving a dialogue back in 2020 that could result in the old agreement being complied with.
Nothing came of it, and that was also the case when Jørgen Holm Christensen's lawyer wrote to Femern Bælt A/S.
Maybe work after all?
DOI.dk wrote about Jørgen Holm Christensen's work in offshore wind in the fall of 2022, where the shipowner also talked about the progress of the agreed work. Femern Bælt A/S was given the opportunity to respond via email, and although the press officer contacted DOI.dk for a more detailed explanation, no response was ever received.
Jørgen Holm Christensen subsequently sent the article to both Claus Iversen and Kim Smedegaard, who is deputy technical director and part of the management of Femern Bælt A/S.
While Claus Iversen sent a thumbs up in response to Jørgen Holm Christensen, Kim Smedegaard called.
- Kim Smedegaard called and said that there might be some work after all. I should call the person in charge of the boats at Fehmarn Bælt now, says Jørgen Holm Christensen, who for a moment believed that the agreement would be respected after all.
But the call to the person in charge of the boats was another disappointment, even though Kim Smedegaard had hinted otherwise.
- I was simply rejected again, says Jørgen Holm Christensen.
Claus Iversen, who in the meantime does not work directly for Fehmarn Bælt A/S, remembers the case, which he has no comment on today.
- I feel like I have been cheated and forgotten by Fehmarn Bælt after having worked for Sund & Bælt since the beginning of the 1990s, both with the Great Belt Link and the Øresund Bridge. I am sure that the three from Fehmarnbelt would not lie about it if they were in court, says Jørgen Holm Christensen.
Vice Technical Director Kim Smedegaard at Fehmarns Bælt A/S clearly remembers Jørgen Holm Christensen.
- I know Jørgen very well from a long and good collaboration on Storebælt, and Jørgen can also confirm that. But I do not know the specific case. But it is correct, I have recommended Jørgen to contact those who are responsible for the boats now. Unfortunately, I cannot contribute more, says Kim Smedegaard.
DOI.dk has tried in vain to get a comment from Allan Christensen and Gregers Jensen.
Shipowner Jørgen Holm Christensen from Strib already has the guard boat Don Holm lying ready in Snoghøj Harbour near Fredericia to work for Femern Bælt A/S. (Private photo/Jørgen Holm Christensen).
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