Author: Anja Fabricius Madsen

Port of Grenaa achieved a net turnover of DKK 79.9 million in 2023. This is the fifth year in a row that the port has delivered record turnover, and it is also an increase in turnover of more than 30 percent compared to 2021. The net profit for the year is DKK 11.9 million.

The port's board considers this year's result to be very positive, said Bent Hansen, chairman of the board of Port of Grenaa, at Monday's general meeting:

"The result for the year reflects, among other things, that here in Denmark's most central deepwater port, we have built up a good base business and a solid foundation that reflects our positions of strength," says Bent Hansen.

Henrik Carstensen, CEO of Port of Grenaa, shares his satisfaction with the results the port has delivered in the past year.

"In 2023, we have had high activity in all core segments. And on the inside, we have come a long way in areas such as ESG, CSR and ISO, which contributes to our legitimacy with our business partners in the years to come. Our major focus - both in 2023 and in previous years - has been on developing new relationships. Currently, we are making great efforts in the wind segment, which is and will continue to be an area of huge growth."

And it is precisely the nurturing of existing relationships and the development of new ones that characterizes the skilled operation of the Port of Grenaa, Bent Hansen adds:

"The knowledge and trust in the Port of Grenaa is increasing, and the port can thank the CEO and his organization for that. If there are no good relations, customers will find somewhere else, and that is what I am most pleased about as chairman; that trust has been built up, which means that the Port of Grenaa is competitive and visible to new customers," says Bent Hansen.

Increased capacity needed for continued growth

With the bustle comes wear and tear on equipment and areas, and during the year, prioritized resources have been used to ensure that the port remains sharp in the future.

But if the Port of Grenaa's growth journey is to continue, it is also absolutely necessary to invest in the future. Both in the form of new equipment - such as the new hydraulic crane, which is expected to arrive in Grenaa in 2025, but also increased capacity in the form of more port area, says Bent Hansen:

"We must ensure that we remain in the super league of ports that are attractive for the upcoming offshore wind projects in the Kattegat, Skagerrak and the Baltic Sea. We are looking into a very exciting future - especially in the wind segment. The first major project is scheduled to depart from the Port of Grenaa in 2026, and if we have the space, there are more exciting things in the pipeline," he says.

Supporting the port's acute need for space during 2024 is thus crucial for all these potentials to be realized, and we are therefore working intensively with the port's owner to find additional space outside the port, Bent Hansen adds:

"It is our hope that we, together with Norddjurs Municipality, can find a quick solution so that the port can have the opportunity to rent or buy the necessary areas. 2024 will be a year where we cannot continue the development if our capacity is not increased. It must be in everyone's interest that we jointly ensure the conditions for the port's continued growth and development," says the chairman of the board, who adds that the infrastructure and accessibility to Grenaa has also remained a focus area in 2023.

Strategic focus and outlook for 2030 strategy

Over the past year, the Port of Grenaa has put more words to the company's ambitions and efforts in the areas of environment, society and governance, commonly referred to as ESG. Thus, the port also submits an impressive CSR report that describes how Port of Grenaa practices running a responsible business.

"We wholeheartedly want to be a workplace that promotes well-being for our most important resource: our employees. During the year, we were certified in quality, environment and work environment. Three ISO standards that we are extremely proud to have achieved," says Henrik Carstensen.

Bent Hansen adds that the increased strategic focus has given rise to an update of the 2025 strategy with a new sustainability strategy:

"We were already far along with many of the goals we had set for 2025, and the development has steered us in a direction where we now take ESG, ISO, SMART goals, SDGs and a number of signature projects as our starting point. Soon we will be embarking on the next important steps towards the development of our 2030 strategy."

The board of directors remains unchanged

Jess Abildskou was the only board member up for election and he was re-elected. The board therefore continues unchanged.

The board of Port of Grenaa consists of Chairman Bent Hansen, Vice Chairman Laura Hay Uggla, Anette Liebe, Benny Hammer, Jens Meilvang, Lene Skovsgaard Sørensen, Daniel Isak Dallerup and Jess Abildskou.

At the end of last week, Grenaa Port's board and management team visited Halland Ports, which consists of the ports of Halmstad and Varberg.

The visit took place in Halmstad, and was a return visit after Halland Ports previously visited the Port of Grenaa. Stena Line's route between Grenaa and Halmstad provides a natural "link" between the Port of Halmstad and the Port of Grenaa, and thus opportunities to share knowledge and exchange experiences in other exciting segments that both ports work with.

The visit was extremely interesting and included a dialogue about tourism and optimization of the ferry traffic between Halmstad and Grenaa related to both cars and heavy traffic. In addition, an exciting presentation about Halmstad Municipality and Halmstad Port, as well as very exciting company visits to Stena Recycling and Biltema, and both companies' very impressive set-up at Halmstad Port

A big thank you to Stena Line, Halmstad Municipality and Destination Halmstad for exciting presentations, and also a big thank you to Stena Recycling and Biltema for some very interesting company visits. Finally, many thanks to Halland Ports for great hosting and a fantastically exciting program. We look forward to continuing the good cooperation with you and further expanding our close relationships

Last week, Port of Grenaa CEO Henrik Carstensen had the pleasure of participating in a trip to Canada together with a delegation of representatives from the Danish Ports Association, other Danish Ports, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Danish Consulate in Canada.

The main purpose of the trip was to visit other Canadian Ports, as well as related industry associations etc. During these interesting visits, the focus was on a mutual dialog about e.g. this green transition, Greenfield projects, investment opportunities, ownership of the ports, regulatory processing etc.

One of the days of the trip, the Danish Consulate in Canada and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a full-day conference, where the agenda included a good specific focus on several of the above topics. At this conference - which had a good representation from large parts of the maritime industry in Canada - Henrik Carstensen gave a presentation on the Port of Grenaa's work with the green transition and future off-shore projects in the Kattegat and the Baltic Sea, where the Port of Grenaa expects to play an important role both as a pre-assembly and O&M port.

Finally, the trip included an interesting and exciting meeting with the Danish Ambassador to Canada, Hanne Fugl Eskjær, with a good mutual dialog on how we can jointly expand our maritime cooperation between Canada and Denmark.

While the ferry Stena Nautica enjoyed the Christmas holidays in Halmstad, there was no rest for the Port of Grenaa. On the contrary, the holidays were utilized to the fullest as the port embarked on an ambitious project: the installation of a lower ramp for Swedish traffic.

After the Christmas rush, the ramp was carefully tested in the early months of 2024 to ensure it worked flawlessly. And now, with the confirmation of its full functionality, we are happy and proud to have this important infrastructure in place. The ramp is not just an improvement to our current facilities; it's securing our future at the ferry terminal.

This project was realized through a close collaboration between the Port of Grenaa, Stena Line and HSM, a local supplier. The collaboration between these parties has been crucial to the success of the project and shows the strength of local commitment and expertise.

It's worth noting that the original lower ramp was built half a century ago for the route between Grenaa and Hundested. It has served its purpose well for decades, but with the evolution of the port's needs and progress, it was now time for a renewal.

Thus, this new lower ramp represents not only a step forward in the modernization of the Port of Grenaa, but also a symbol of continuous commitment to quality and future sustainability of the port's ferry dock.

We know many people like to visit the pier, but unfortunately, due to storm damage, it is heavily damaged. The waves are violent and can easily move concrete blocks of up to 2.5 tons!

To ensure your safety, we have set up no-entry barriers that we ask you to respect. The pier is only cordoned off for your safety and so that we can make the necessary repairs once the insurance issue has been settled.

We hope for your understanding and hope to open the pier as soon as possible - we will let you know when it is safe to walk on it again.

We don't want to see anyone get hurt - so take care of yourself and each other.