Port of Hirtshals sends first stage of major expansion out to tender

HJØRRING: The Port of Hirtshals is ready to launch an EU tender for the first stage of the port expansion 'Nordhavnen' after receiving permission from Danish Transport Authority.

The project, which is the largest in the port's history, is thus entering a new phase with a focus on improved navigation conditions and increased safety. The port announced this in a press release.

Stage 1 includes an extension of the western pier by approximately 350 meters, so that the total length will be approximately 775 meters, as well as a possible setback of the eastern pier head by up to 60 meters. The measures are intended to provide smoother approach – especially for larger ships – and at the same time make it possible for the port to receive larger vessels than today.

- Today we emphasize the significant development of the Port of Hirtshals over recent years and at the same time take an important step towards securing the port's future. With Stage 1 of Nordhavnen, we will be equipped to meet the increasing capacity requirements of shipping traffic for the benefit of the local environment, the business community and current and future customers, says Per Anholm Nørgaard, CEO of the Port of Hirtshals.

The tender is being carried out as an EU tender with prequalification, where selected contractors are invited to submit bids and enter into negotiations. The final contract is awarded based on an overall assessment of price and technical quality.

Larger tender was dropped

The decision to expand the port was made in 2019 by Hjørring Municipality and the port's board, and the project has since been prepared for the current tender.

Originally, the port had plans for an even larger expansion, which in addition to the choices in stage 1 also included the establishment of staging and commercial areas in the port area itself. Therefore, in 2024, the port had launched a tender for a large overall project, which the municipally owned port expected to cost approximately one billion kroner.

However, the indicative bids for that tender were considerably more expensive. The combination of, among other things, more expensive materials and uncertainties about the general economic development in the markets resulted in higher expected costs for the port expansion than initially estimated.

Therefore, the port, perhaps having learned from the economic mistakes it had seen in connection with the expansions of Hanstholm and Frederikshavn ports, decided instead to continue working with the port expansion in the "Hirtshals model", where the expansion takes place in stages at a pace that is economically justifiable. And it is therefore the first of these stages that is now ready for tender and can thus be realized.

- It has required a great deal of effort to get here, and it is therefore also a great pleasure to finally be able to take this important step, says Michael Lundgaard Thomsen, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Port of Hirtshals.

The construction work is expected to start in 2027 and be completed by the end of 2029 or the beginning of 2030. During the construction period, the port will continue to be in full operation, so that daily activities and transport corridors can be maintained.

The expansion of the Port of Hirtshals will, among other things, pave the way for the port's ambition to become the greenest port in Europe. The port is working on plans to become a hub for the production and consumption of renewable energy and to establish partnerships with companies working on green transition.