ESBJERG: Søren Gade (V) has denied that the Port of Esbjerg has anything to do with shipbuilding. He has done this to deny that the port can reap an advantage in the fight to become a shipyard for new warships for Denmark, because as chairman of the Folketing he also sits at the head of the port's board.
However, new documents that Berlingske has gained insight into, show that the port has been in contact with a central player in the plans to build military ships in Denmark for a long time.
In January 2024, the director of the Port of Esbjerg, Dennis Jul Pedersen, contacted the company Semco Maritime – which later became part of the consortium Danske Flådeskibe K/S.
In an email with the subject "Facilities for Danish Patrol Ships", he presented a project for the company, which responded positively. Shortly afterwards, further correspondence followed about price, financing models and the political status of the project. Documents show that in March 2025, facilities and financing were discussed again.
Søren Gade has previously written to TV 2 that the Port of Esbjerg "has absolutely nothing to do with shipbuilding". However, his name does not appear in the documents.
Critics in the Folketing still believe that the chairman of the Port of Esbjerg cannot have been unaware of the dialogue. The Unity Party's Peder Hvelplund is urging Gade to consider resigning from one of his positions. Søren Gade does not wish to comment on the matter further.
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