The Port of Frederikshavn is in really bad shape financially (the port has a debt of approximately DKK 1.5 billion, ed.), and this gives us all justifiable cause for both wonder and concern. Therefore, it is also entirely appropriate to ask sharp questions about what is going on! Has anyone not reacted in time, or perhaps even slept through the hour? Is this bad management, and if so, by whom?
Let's try to give an explanation:
The Port of Frederikshavn is a municipal self-governing port, i.e. owned by the municipality. But it has its own independent board (appointed by the city council), and that board employs a port director who is responsible for the operation of the port.
In addition to operating and developing the port, the board must also inform the owner/city council about strategies, development plans, purchases, sales, finances, etc.
And this is where problems arise with the former board, which for a long time refused to hand over necessary information to the municipality, despite the municipality's repeated requests to do so. The port's management believed itself protected by the Port Act (extensive authority to decide for themselves what they wanted to pass on to the municipality).
The municipality's external lawyer did not agree with this, and therefore the Finance Committee decided in 2023 to draw up a new and sharper ownership strategy for the municipality's 2 municipal self-governing ports. A strategy that ensures greater transparency for the municipality and thus the city council.
The disagreement with the Frederikshavn Port board meant that several meetings had to be held with the chairman and director, who, despite repeated loan/guarantee applications, continued to present the port's finances in very positive terms and forecasts. Something that has subsequently proven not to be the case.
The "cooperation" can best be described as extremely strained and the port's actions were at times experienced as direct opposition. The result of the municipality's sharper course meant that the previous board chose to resign from their positions relatively quickly, and subsequently the daily management of the port was also replaced.
It is important to state that this increased openness and insight between the port and the municipality is central to the attempt to solve the port's major challenges. But it is equally important to state that this openness cannot be shared with the press and the outside world, as these are vital business agreements between the port and its corporate customers.
The municipality was fortunate to be able to recruit highly competent people to take over the tasks, and it is no secret that their thorough analysis of the port's previous dispositions and operations has caused skeletons to rattle out of the closets, to an extent that no one had expected.
The trust in the work of the new board and management is very high, but we must also understand that not everything that is "damaged" can be repaired.
We must also be honest. This will require both courage and the will to try and think in new ways. No one can promise that we have seen the last challenges, and no one can yet tell how the whole situation will ultimately be resolved.
But in the midst of the storm, it is important that we invest all the professional energy we can find to get the Port of Frederikshavn back on its feet.
We fully recognize that it is a very difficult task to provide the information that is quite rightly expected, but there are many considerations to take into account, not least when such serious cases are to be uncovered and resolved.
We will not run away from our responsibility, not even now when it is difficult.
The post was written by Karsten Thomsen, Group Chairman S, John Lamp Henriksen, Group Chairman K, Christina Lykke Eriksen, Group Chairman SF, Jens Nygaard Johansen, Group Chairman DD, Thomas Hjort, Group Chairman DF, Peter Sørensen, outside party and Erik Kyed Trolle, outside party.
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