Kent Kirk grew up in a real fishing home in Esbjerg, when the harbor basins were still full of blue wooden cutters. His father was a fishing skipper, and his Faroese mother was the daughter of Faroese fishermen, so Kent came to sea as a natural at the age of 15. This is according to a press release from the companies that he owns and runs today.
At just 21 years old, he bought his own steel cutter and soon worked his way up to become one of Esbjerg's most successful fishing skippers. However, he soon became involved in the fishermen's fight for survival and ended up as a spokesman for the fishermen. This led to him being elected chairman of the Esbjerg Fishing Association at the age of only 27 – and going ashore.
The politician
The association work soon aroused the fisherman's son's political interest, and in 1979 he was elected to the European Parliament for the Conservatives. From here, Kent Kirk fought not least for the fishermen's cause - a cause that culminated when, with a ship full of journalists from all over the world, he sailed his cutter behind the British fishing borders, threw his trawl and was caught by the English navy. The goal was to get the European Court of Justice to rule that the British could not exclude Danish fishermen from the common EC sea. The action and the case that Kent Kirk won made him world famous and indirectly paved the way to the Danish Parliament. Here, at the age of 41, he was appointed Minister of Fisheries under Poul Schlüter's second government in 1989.
The Businessman
In parallel with his political career - and this characterizes the native - Kent Kirk and two local entrepreneurs also founded the successful patrol ship company Esvagt, which began as a retraining project targeted at the many fishermen who, as a result of the fishing crisis, were thrown out to sea.
The company, which still operates as a guard and rescue vessel for the wind and oil industry and is one of Esbjerg's major workplaces, was sold to a private equity fund in 2015.
Kent Kirk's desire and ability to run a business and create something new did not end with the sale of Esvagt, however.
Today, he owns and operates a number of companies, including the engine and generator company Nordhavn Power Solutions, where his old friend, former Deputy Prime Minister Bendt Bendtsen, also sits on the board. Another company in the portfolio is West Marine in Esbjerg, which, among other things, works within offshore supply and service for both the oil and gas industry and the wind industry.
In 2021, Kent again emphasized that he is a pioneer in the maritime sector. This happened when Nordhavn presented the industry with a green methanol engine, which is a sustainable alternative to traditional diesel engines.
The fisherman and the family man
Kent Kirk's own story about his life and times can be read in the book "The Last Fishermen", written by his nephew Lars Bo Kirk in close collaboration with Kent. The book was published in 2021 and describes fishing all the way back from Kent Kirk's grandparents, who fished in open dinghies from the West Coast during the heyday of fishing in the 1970s and up to today, when Danish fishing is divided into very few hands.
Kent Kirk has managed to show throughout his life that it is never too early or too late to pursue your dreams and make a difference. His 75th birthday is thus also the celebration of 75 years filled with passion, commitment and energy.
Although Kent Kirk is associated with Esbjerg for many, he currently lives in Espergærde with his wife Ruth Kirk. He spends a large part of his free time with his grandchildren, preferably in the summer house on either Fanø or in France.
The birthday on August 26th is celebrated on Fanø, where Kent Kirk's siblings, their children and grandchildren gather for a family weekend every year.
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