Author: Anja Fabricius Madsen

Last week, Denmark hosted EuroSkills Herning 2025 - the European Championship in Herning for young skilled workers. Nearly 600 skilled young talents from all over Europe came together to compete in 38 different trades. It was great craftsmanship, pride and lots of inspiration all in one place!

It's great to see Norddjurs Håndbold back in the 1. Division, and it looks like it's going to be a From Norddjurs drove 𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝘆𝗹𝗱𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗱𝗱 𝟭𝟮𝟬 𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲, who had the opportunity to experience the championships up close. They tried their hand at different crafts, saw Europe's best in competition and gained insight into the many exciting training and job opportunities of the future.

At the Port of Grenaa, we are proud to contribute to the sponsorship of the trip. Our contribution made it possible to send the three buses so that the young people could have this great and educational experience.

Supporting the local community is one of Grenaa Port's core values - and we want to give back where we can. We believe that experiences like Euroskills provide young people with inspiration, motivation and knowledge that can be crucial for their future.

When we contribute to the development of young people, we also contribute to the strength and future of the entire community. And that's exactly what we want as a port.

This week, the Port of Grenaa had the pleasure of welcoming the Presidium of the Danish Parliament and the Faroese Lagting Presidency, led by Søren Gade (Chairman of the Danish Parliament), Bjørt Samuelsen (Chairman of the Faroese Lagting) and Peter Østergård (Deputy Chairman of the Danish Parliament).

The visit gave rise to an exciting presentation where we talked about our work with green transition, sustainability and ESG - and how these efforts are integrated into our core mission as a modern industrial port with a clear focus on the future.

Afterwards, we toured the port area, where Port Director Henrik Carstensen shared insights into the many activities that characterize daily life at the port - from offshore and bulk to green solutions and partnerships. A big thank you to Leif Lahn (MF) for initiating the Presidium's visit to Djursland - and to all the guests for an inspiring afternoon in East Jutland.

At the Business Djursland board meeting on Tuesday, Grenaa Port Director Henrik Carstensen was elected as the new chairman of the business network – with the support of a joint board. The change of chairman follows the fact that Jørgen OM Laursen has chosen to seek new challenges in North Jutland.

Henrik Carstensen says:

“I am very much looking forward to becoming part of a super good and professional network – and to contributing to continuing the great development that Business Djursland has had in recent years. A special thank you to Jørgen Laursen for his strong efforts as chairman – these are big shoes to fill, and I will do my best to build on the solid foundation. We must ensure that our members experience value, strong networks and good relationships – and I am especially looking forward to strengthening political cooperation across Djursland and continuing the work with the infrastructure.”

Watch the video where Henrik Carstensen puts his new role and visions for Business Djursland into words HERE

With Henrik Carstensen at the helm of Grenaa Port – and now also as Chairman of the Board of Business Djursland – the connection between business, infrastructure and networks across Djursland is strengthened. His long-standing commitment to the local business community and his new position bodes well for future cooperation and continued development in the area.

Port of Grenaa can once again present a strong annual result - and for no less than the sixth consecutive year with record revenue. In 2024, the port's net revenue reached DKK 88.37 million compared to DKK 79.89 million in 2023, and the profit after tax for the year was DKK 17 million compared to DKK 11.9 million in 2023. This is also the ninth consecutive year of revenue growth.

"When we again this year deliver a record turnover, it is clear proof that our strategy and our daily efforts are working - and that the Port of Grenaa is an important and attractive player in both a local and international context," says Bent Hansen, Chairman of the Board at Port of Grenaa.

"We have a solid foundation, a healthy core business and, not least, the ability to attract and deliver large projects. This resonates in the market," he adds.

High activity and new investments

2024 has been characterized by high activity in all the port's core segments. The termination of a major contract with an international wind operator also led to an extraordinary operating income, which contributed to the strong result.

Henrik Carstensen, CEO of Port of Grenaa, also points to important strategic steps taken during the year:

"This year we have received our largest investment in equipment ever - the Mantsinen 300 DEMG super crane, the largest of its kind in Denmark and an important step towards more sustainable port operations. At the same time, we have maintained our ambitions within ESG, ISO and green power, and we are working towards re-certification in 2025."

World-class customer satisfaction

In the fall of 2024, the Port of Grenaa conducted a comprehensive customer satisfaction survey, which showed very high loyalty and great satisfaction among customers. A result that Henrik Carstensen sees as an important indicator of the port's competitiveness:

"I'm especially pleased that flexibility is highlighted by customers - it's something we really care about and consider part of our DNA."

Need for expansion and future potentials

Despite the strong result, both management and the board of directors point to the need for increased capacity and area if the Port of Grenaa is to meet future demand - especially from the energy sector and in relation to storage and handling of CO₂.

"We need more space. Without new areas, it will be difficult to exploit the many potentials we see - including offshore wind and green energy," Bent Hansen emphasizes. "We are pleased that Norddjurs Municipality is now working on a concrete action plan, and we hope that this will soon lead to the necessary development opportunities outside the existing port area."

Collaboration and partnerships in focus

In 2024, the Port of Grenaa entered into a partnership agreement with Hallands Hamnar in Sweden on the Kattegat Port Alliance - a strategic collaboration to strengthen growth, sustainable development and efficient logistics across the Kattegat.

The partnership is based on shared ambitions to attract international players and create better connections between Scandinavia and the rest of Europe. The collaboration focuses on knowledge exchange, joint marketing and coordination of capacity, especially in relation to offshore energy, green fuels and project cargo.

"With Kattegat Port Alliance, we want to position ourselves as a strong, green and flexible alternative to the major ports in the Øresund region. We believe that cooperation - not competition - is the way to sustainable growth," says Henrik Carstensen.

The agreement marks an important step towards developing the Port of Grenaa as an international hub port with a particular strength in green transition and energy infrastructure.

Optimism despite consolidation on the horizon

Although 2025 may be a year of consolidation and possible pause in the growth curve, optimism is high.

"We are well positioned and our 2030 strategy is under development. We have the foundation, the team and the relationships to build on the strong results - also in the years to come," Bent Hansen concludes.

Friday night at 22:00, the ship AURA arrived in the dark and docked precisely - on board was Grenaa Port's largest machine investment ever: Mantsinen 300DEMG.

Huge chains were detached from the 411-ton crane, and on Saturday morning at 7am, excited colleagues gathered to witness the moment the "wonder" rolled ashore.

With impressive precision, two Finnish specialists lowered the crane from the ship - one set of wheels at a time - while AURA adjusted the height along the way. An operation that took 2 hours and required full concentration.

Soon after, the four specially designed grabs and one hook were lifted ashore by reachstacker. The grabs are a feat in themselves - with a capacity of up to 25 cubic meters, designed to handle all types of bulk cargo with maximum efficiency.

The rest of the weekend was spent on documentation and technical tests - and already on Monday morning the training of our crane operators began so that we can soon put the Mantsine into full operation.

With dual-power system (electric and diesel), 40 meters reach and flexibility for all types of bulk carriers, the crane is not just an investment - it's a boost for future port operations

A general meeting will be held in Port of Grenaa, Monday 28 April 2025 at 11.00 at Havnecentervej 1, 8500 Grenaa.

Participation must be registered to Pia Møller Christensen at e-mail: pmc@grenaahavn.dk no later than April 16, 2025

At the Port of Grenaa, we have just invested in a Port Bin - a floating garbage bin that is now operational in our harbor basin. It is part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen the environment and ensure a cleaner, more sustainable harbor.

The Port Bin automatically sucks waste from the water surface and collects everything from cigarette butts and plastic to microplastics. It works around the clock and can be easily emptied by a single employee, making it both practical and efficient in daily operations.

At the Port of Grenaa, we see this as a concrete and visible step in our responsibility for the environment - both on land and at sea. The initiative may be small in scale, but it has the potential to make a big difference to the environment, wildlife and everyone who uses the harbor.

We hope that this is just the first of several Port Bins in the port. The more we have, the more difference we can make - and we will continuously assess the need and impact.

With Port Bin, we are adding another green initiative to the series of sustainable initiatives here at the Port of Grenaa. It's an effort we're proud of - and one we look forward to building on.

The Port of Grenaa is Denmark's most central deepwater port and an important hub in the center of
Denmark. We are one of Denmark's major industrial and commercial ports, and thus also an important, critical
infrastructure. We help ensure that goods, commodities and supplies can be transported to and from land via
the sea.

The Port of Grenaa hereby submits its consultation response to the three outlined project proposals for "Expansion
of Route 15 between Bale and Tåstrup".

The Port of Grenaa recommends and needs a full expansion of the 2+1 road section right up to
Tåstrup.

Increasing pressure on the A15
We believe that the pressure on the A15 is increasing rapidly. The Port of Grenaa has conducted an internal survey among the 11 largest companies at the Port of Grenaa. These alone have a total of 130,760
trailers/truck trailers or tractors/trailers per year on the A15 (to and from the port with cargo).

Stena Line's ferry route between Grenaa and Halmstad in Sweden contributes positively to solving congestion problems nationwide by transporting trucks by sea. However, this means more trucks on the route to and from Grenaa. Stena Line still has plans to expand the route with another
ferry, so that in the future, the route will be served by two ferries, increasing traffic congestion on
route A15.

Developments at the Port of Grenaa
The Port of Grenaa has experienced fantastic development over the past 25 years. Since 2000,
turnover at the Port of Grenaa has grown from DKK 26 million to DKK 79.9 million in 2023. And we are still growing.
Our total cargo volume in 2023 was 1,481,000 tons of cargo. Driven and sailed to and from the port.

The Port of Grenaa is working intensively on several major development projects that are expected to
significantly increase traffic to and from Grenaa. For several years, the Port of Grenaa has
achieved record turnover and a great development. The framework for increased growth will be created in the coming years
through the acquisition of significant hinterland areas. An upgraded infrastructure is important so that it
remains attractive to do business in and around Grenaa and throughout Djursland.

Securing a strong workforce for the area
To ensure the development of Grenaa, Norddjurs Municipality and Djursland, it is extremely important that
companies in the Djursland area can attract a qualified and sufficient workforce.
Demographic trends show that there is a need to attract commuters from the nearby big cities, especially Aarhus.
It is perceived to be difficult to attract job seekers due to the long transportation time.

The full expansion provides the opportunity to increase the speed on a longer distance and thus
reduce transportation time slightly. The full extension also provides more safety in the form of
crash barriers, which will hopefully help reduce the number of accidents on the existing
stretch of road.

Secured for large transports
For the Port of Grenaa, it is important that the road construction, bridges and any
fauna passages take into account that heavy, wide, long goods transports with, for example,
wind turbine blades can pass effectively and safely. This is to ensure the infrastructure for the port of Grenaa
ifm. establishment of e.g. future offshore wind farms. The Port of Grenaa has an attractive location
for the future offshore wind farms in the Kattegat.

The best investment
A full expansion will help prevent both congestion and accidents. A full
expansion can be implemented within the politically agreed financial framework and is also
considered to be the best investment from a socio-economic perspective, according to the summary of the
environmental impact assessment.

Earlier this week, the Port of Grenaa held a strategy seminar in Skagen, where the management team worked intensively to develop a new 5-year strategy for the port's future. The seminar was facilitated by Christian Terkelsen from Craftsmanship, who has been a close partner in the process.

Work on the upcoming strategy has been ongoing for some time, and the aim is for the board to approve the new strategic direction after the summer break. The focus has been on ensuring that the Port of Grenaa is even stronger in 2030 - both financially, organizationally and as a driving force for sustainable development.

"We are already strong today, but we have an ambition to create an even more robust and competitive port. This requires us to think long-term and strategically in terms of business development, employee satisfaction and our role in the green transition," says Port Director Henrik Carstensen.

During the seminar, the leadership team worked on three key benchmarks for the future:

• Economic strength - The Port of Grenaa must remain a solid and competitive player.
• Attractive workplace - A modern organization that attracts and retains talented employees.
• Sustainable development - An active role in the green transition and societal development.

In addition to the strategic discussions, the seminar also provided an opportunity for reflection. A trip to Grenen was used to discuss perspectives in an informal setting, where the fresh Skagen air set thoughts in motion.

With the strategy seminar as a starting point, the work now continues internally so that the Port of Grenaa can be ready with a strategy that ensures a strong and future-proof port in 2030.