03/23/2017

The Port of Esbjerg lands its highest profit to date

A high level of activity at the Port of Esbjerg in 2016 within especially wind, RoRo traffic and car imports led to a record turnover of EUR 30.94 million and a record net profit of EUR 10.68 million for the year. The high activity is expected to continue in 2017. With the planned expansion of the 250,000 m2 East Port area well underway, the Port of Esbjerg is ready to handle a continued high level of activity and a growing demand for its areas.

The Port of Esbjerg’s record turnover and result in 2016 is due to a high level of activity at the 4,500,000 m2 large port. Cargo turnover rose 6 percent compared to 2015 and the port set a new record in terms of ship calls and imported cars. Meanwhile, 1,100 MW of offshore wind capacity was shipped from the port, which is more than double the amount in 2015, and demand for the port’s areas increased.

Flemming N. Enevoldsen, Chairman of the Port of Esbjerg’s board, says: “We are satisfied with the result. It reflects the fact that the Port of Esbjerg is in very good shape and the continued high level of activity at the port as well as the thousands of jobs on and around the port. The keyword is market diversification. The Port of Esbjerg is both the Northern European market leader within offshore wind and the Danish center for RoRo traffic and oil and gas. We cover a total of ten business areas, which supplement each other very well. This makes the Port of Esbjerg very resistant towards the unavoidable fluctuations in the markets.”

Expansion of the East Port in full swing

The expectation that the high activity will continue in 2017 combined with an increasing demand for areas from especially the wind industry means that the port’s investment of nearly EUR 27 million in the 250,000 m2 expansion of the East Port comes at the right time. The expansion is expected to be complete by the end of the year.

”The Port of Esbjerg’s investment in the expansion of the East Port area ensures that we can continue to meet the needs of our customers and stay at the forefront of the market instead of chasing after it. We, for instance, expect to ship out as much offshore wind in 2017 as in 2016. Furthermore, a series of large offshore wind tenders in the North Sea are scheduled over the course of the year, so it looks like the activity within wind will continue,” says Ole Ingrisch, Director at the Port of Esbjerg.