Nyhedsbrev september 2025

Welcome

Offshore Wind

Have you heard that, in 2026 there have been the best prices on industrial fish with over 7 DKK per kg.

What's happening at the port

The old lifeboat station at Nordhavns Quay will be demolished during the autumn. There has been a meeting with the initiative group for the preservation of the lifeboat station, and there is agreement that as much of the building as possible should be preserved. However, it will be a matter of what is feasible, as not all materials are suitable for restoration. Once the demolition permit is available in the near future, the building will be taken down and suitable building parts will be stored until there may be financial support/solutions for any restoration. The location for any restoration is not clarified.

The equipment terminal is exposed to wind and weather and requires ongoing maintenance. We have initiated the renovation of gable ends and will continue the work in the coming time.

Port of Hvide Sande owns about 350 streetlights placed around the port's areas. In the near future, Ringkøbing Skjern Supply will replace relays and remove faults to ensure light during the dark time.

With the aim of beautifying the area around the equipment houses at Tyskerhavnen, some tenants have been informed about necessary renovation and cleanup around the equipment houses. This only applies to tenants whose equipment houses need a caring hand or where items have been left that do not belong in the area.

The last holiday homes on Langsand Langs Sand have been completed, and all that remains from the port's side now is planting reed in the area around the houses. This work is scheduled to start in September/October, where Port of Hvide Sande has an agreement with Hvide Sande School, where students have the opportunity to earn money for various events.

At quay 15, 16, and 19 (south port), new fender covers have been purchased to improve the conditions for the ships docked there. Rescue ladders in the area will also be replaced.

Quay 109

Quay 109 is nearly finished and the handover ceremony is scheduled for 21.09. Since the project commenced in 2022, starting with an application to the Traffic Agency for a share of the then existing Port Fund, it has now taken 4 years for the project to be completed.

The project has changed significantly since the original project description, due to technical challenges, but also specific improvement proposals that have emerged throughout the project.

The total back area is now about 7000 m2 compared to the originally planned area of about 4000 m2. The design of the quay has also changed, which is due to challenges with the driving of sheet piling, where we came across remnants of the past (10-14 tons concrete blocks) where the northern protection was built.

Quay 109 is still considered a strategically important project that will contribute positively to both the port's and the city's development in the coming years. 

Henning's Anecdote:
From a local man to modern piloting.

When I started at Port of Hvide Sande a couple of years ago, things were quite different than today. There was only 4.5 meters of water in the entrance, and therefore it was not every day that we had visits from larger coasters. The pilot system was also different. One managed largely with local knowledge, experience, and a man familiar with the local conditions.

In Hvide Sande, we had what was called a known man. It was a local fisherman and lifeboat driver with a deep understanding of the port, the current, the shoal, and the narrow entrance. This known man was Kræ Mose. He was a calm and experienced man who knew the port and entrance better than most know their own driveway. When a coaster approached the port, he would sail out in Mette Marie to meet it and help it safely through the entrance.

The term known man should be understood quite literally. It was a man who was known in the waters and who knew it as well as his own pocket. The ship's captain could hire him to board or sail ahead and assist with navigation through the local waters. Here, nautical charts and markings were not always enough. One also needed to know how the current behaved, where the shoals were, and what the entrance looked like that day.

The known man therefore acted as a local pilot, long before piloting became the professional and regulated field we know today. In other places in Denmark, known men were gradually replaced by professional pilots, but in Hvide Sande, the tradition continued. This was perhaps very natural. Out here, conditions can change quickly, while experience takes many years to build.

Kræ Mose was known for his calmness. I don’t think there was much that could throw him off course. It was a useful trait when you had to go out to a foreign ship and guide it through a narrow entrance, where there wasn’t room for many wrong decisions.

Today we have skilled, professional pilots, modern navigation equipment, and entirely different safety and documentation requirements. But the basis is really the same as back then. The ship needs to enter safely, and the one showing the way must know the port. The difference is just that Kræ Mose did not need so many screens to see where he was. He knew the way.

It is important that we at the port keep ourselves informed about the conditions that ships encounter when they sail in and out of Hvide Sande. Therefore, I had the opportunity to go aboard the pilot when HEIKE departed from Hvide Sande with the large elements heading for Spain.

HEIKE is not a ship one overlooks. At 133 meters long and a draft of 6.7 meters, it was one of the largest ships we have had pass through the entrance. Such a departure requires thorough planning, as both wind and tide play a decisive role. HEIKE is not only large but also challenging to maneuver in the harbor basin. Therefore, a tugboat was called to help turn the ship in place inside the harbor and later assist out of the entrance.

A departure is not just a matter of sailing out of the port. Water level, wind, and weather come into play, and the pilot needs to have the overall overview. In addition to coordination with the ship's captain and crew, the effort needs to be coordinated with Port Control, line handlers, the tugboat, and the coast guard station.

The departure was scheduled for high tide at 16:00 on June 20. The forecast showed a water level of about 50 centimeters above the daily water level, and with a depth of about 7.8 meters in the entrance, there was good space under the keel. Everything indicated a trouble-free departure.

We were ready by 15:30, but shortly before departure the captain informed that the crew was not yet finished securing the cargo on deck. The large elements had to be secured tightly, and the work took longer than expected.

It was a minor setback, but safety always comes first. The waiting time on board was spent monitoring the water level, which gradually fell towards the critical water level where we would have to cancel the departure. To ensure a large distance between the bottom and keel, Port Control opened all sluices for inflow to ensure that there was saltwater throughout the entrance, and not fjord water. Saltwater has a greater density, and therefore the ship would ride a little higher in the water.

Once the moorings were finally cast in the correct order, coordinated with the line handlers, that part of the operation began that everyone had been waiting for. Slowly and controlled, HEIKE was turned so the bow faced out towards the entrance, an exciting job to follow where the pilot, with the full overview, communicated with the ship's crew, the tugboat, and Port Control.

Small adjustments were made all the time, on the ship’s rudder, engine, and bow thruster, tugboat’s direction and pull were adjusted so turning was carried out calmly and safely. From the bridge, it was impressive to witness how precisely the pilot, tugboat, captain, and crew worked together. Despite the ship’s size, it responded calmly and controlled to the small adjustments needed to bring the ship into the correct position.

When HEIKE was on course out of the entrance, the pilot guided the ship safely out through the jetties. The ship’s crew followed the pilot’s instructions, and the tugboat held back to gain the right steering speed.

Safely out of the harbor, we were picked up by the Coast Guard's FRB, which swiftly took us back to the harbor. 

You gain great respect for the craftsmanship the pilot performs and the experience that lies behind safely guiding a ship over 130 meters out through a port like Hvide Sande. At the same time, it serves as a reminder of how much planning, local knowledge, and cooperation is behind every ship arrival and every departure.

Much has changed since Kræ Mose sailed out in Mette Marie. But one thing remains the same: When a large ship needs to securely pass through the entrance, it requires local cooperation where Port Control, line handlers, and the coast rescue station together with the pilot work as a unit! Securely, calmly, and professionally.

3,000 tons of elements for floating offshore wind turbine foundations shipped through Port of Hvide Sande

Stiesdal Offshore first shipped seven components for a floating wind turbine foundation through Port of Hvide Sande in the summer. The elements weigh between 355 to 564 tons each, totaling 3,000 tons. They were sent out in two batches with MV Hilke, the largest cargo ship to have ever docked at the port.

Two years of planning before the first ship docked

The collaboration between Stiesdal Offshore, the transport company BMS with Torben Rafn, and Port of Hvide Sande began long before any loading took place. The dialogue among the three parties lasted over two years.

The planning covered arrival and storage space for the elements, handling from storage to quay, ship size and draft, clarified in dialogue with the pilot. There also needed to be a handle on safety issues during loading and a communication plan for media and the local area.

Shipping with the port's largest crane ship to date

MV Hilke is a multi-purpose crane ship. 133 meters long and 23 meters wide, with two cranes of 450 tons each and a tandem lift of 900 tons. The draft at departure was 6.65 meters. The ship loaded the foundation components in two batches. It is the largest cargo ship to have ever docked at Port of Hvide Sande.

The collaboration with Stiesdal and the other partners on the project proceeded flawlessly, and as Erik Dahl Andersen, Chief Engineer, Stiesdal Offshore puts it:

»We needed a reliable partner for the port aspect of shipping the very large and heavy elements. We found that in Port of Hvide Sande, which was a strategic partner from start to finish.«

Instagram Photo Competition

In collaboration with Esmark Holiday Home Rental, we held a photo competition on Instagram over the summer, where we encouraged guests and locals to share their best pictures from the area.

The interest was overwhelming, and we received more than 150 fantastic pictures. There were many beautiful motifs and atmospheric moments, so it was definitely not easy to find the winners.

After careful consideration, we have arrived at the two pictures that stood out a little extra. Congratulations to the winners and a big thank you to everyone who participated and helped make the competition a success.

Seize the opportunities, but keep the door open
Christian Estrup

I write these lines at CoastWork; an office community established in the old Thorfisk on Rødspættevej.

The place is in many ways a good picture of the transformation that has taken place at Port of Hvide Sande over the last generation: Where previously consumption fish were caught, packaged, and exported, the buildings now host a variety of surfers, filmmakers, and various smaller independents primarily within health and leisure.

The changes around the port are rooted in a general, structural development, where fishing occupies less and less space, and tourism and experience economy more and more.

As the undisputed largest landowner, Port of Hvide Sande is today privileged with a good, stable income base from the areas leased out to the district heating's three wind turbines; as well as the flourishing city tourism, where ground rent for both holiday homes, apartments, and shops and restaurants is beneficial.

If I were to point to a danger element here, it would likely be that the majority of development funds today are invested in offshore and industrial projects and infrastructure for cargo transport. It undoubtedly holds a large economic potential, but I also hope that the Port will take care of trade and tourism. For example, through a visitor center, which could be part of the future Fishing House. Such a center only makes sense if the guests afterwards can go out and experience the port themselves.

The fact is that the port in Hvide Sande has never been a backdrop. It must never become that. That we have an operational port, with the raw and unrefined aesthetics that follow, is in my eyes one of the strongest cards Hvide Sande has to play when it comes to our branding as a destination.

There should be no choice between offshore, industry, and tourism. Things should be balanced, and development should take place so that both we locals, and our many guests can continue to have the opportunity to experience a real port. My greatest fear in this regard is neither ugly buildings nor noise, but that large areas of the port may eventually end up being sealed off.

Most importantly, perhaps, is that we never forget our DNA: The port town did not arise according to a plan: The Water Building Authority wanted a sluice, not a town. But the pioneers and fishermen, who followed after the sluice's opening in 1931, saw an opportunity on the narrow strip of sand between the North Sea and Ringkøbing Fjord, and could seize it because the place was open and accessible: no one had barred them out. If the future port becomes too physically closed, or too expensive to rent with new, exciting projects and initiatives, it is precisely that instinctive, unplanned seize-the-opportunities spirit that will be stifled.

Let me therefore conclude with the desire that we (also) in ten, twenty, and thirty years will have a port with thriving activities within offshore and industry, which is also so open and accessible—and with a ground rent that ensures that we can maintain our position as the best trading town on the West Coast.

Do you lack space and cover for your project or cargo?

Port of Hvide Sande has various options for leasing both outdoor areas, but also buildings for different purposes.

At Vesthavnen, 1,000 m2 bulk warehouse will become available on February 1, 2027. The hall is approved and ready for bulk storage such as wood pellets, grain, road salt, biomass, or similar, which requires a large door, tip height, and indoor storage. The hall is directly situated on the quay in Vesthavnen and near, for example, the bridge work.

At Nordhavnen, we have several buildings available for storage of various types of cargo. It can also be port-related production. One of the buildings has tank capacity with environmental approval for, for example, biomass. Another building at Fabriksvej 13 has several options for storage/production from 40 m2 to 800 m2. So if you need storage for fishing gear (or whatever your need may be), we can create a size that fits your needs precisely. Possibly even smaller than 40 m2. We lease for both shorter and longer periods.

As something new, we have also created a dedicated area for indoor winter storage of pleasure boats.

Whatever your need for storage is, please contact Torben Lindberg Strømgaard from the port at phone 23429521 or via email ts@hvshavn.dk