The Port of Thyborøn is now harvesting the fruit of recent years’ strategic resolutions, major investments and persistent efforts. Once again, the Port of Thyborøn reports record-breaking revenue from fisheries, bulk cargo and sea transport in 2016.
Negligible industrial fisheries quotas on sand eel created uncertainty in the early months of 2016. Fortunately, the local industrial fishing fleet is adept and compensated for the lack of sand eel by landing other species, e.g. sprats and Norway pout, during the year. Aided by good prices, the industrial fishermen succeeded in landing only 12% less than the cargo value achieved in record year 2015. In particular, fishing vessel owners’ willingness to purchase modern tackle from maritime service companies on the Port of Thyborøn has helped to boost catches of other species of fish.
The fisheries auction succeeded in selling the same volume of fish for human consumption as in the record year 2015. Another very positive development is Danske Fiskeauktioner’s higher prices – and therefore higher fish cargo value. Both increased by just over 10% during the year due to the high quality of the fish landed and efficiency of the auction house’s sales and logistics system. In the early months of 2016, the refurbishment of a number of local consumer fish vessels, and some with plaice washing machines, was delayed. This meant of course that catch capacity increased during the year. Volumes of fish at auction gradually increased, resulting in record-breaking revenue by the end of the year.
Transit fishing took the biggest leap upwards, growing by an impressive 105% compared to 2015. Dutch and Belgian vessels in particular started up earlier in the year and ended later than normal. The Port of Thyborøn is pleased and proud to note that so many vessels now choose Thyborøn as their favourite transit port for landing cargoes of fish for their native markets. Thyborøn has become a favourite port in other respects. More foreign vessels are beginning to build storage facilities here (for fishing gear, etc.).
The total value of fish cargo landed via the Port of Thyborøn in 2016 was DKK 910 million – another record-breaking achievement! Our goal is now to pass the DKK 1 billion kroner, which we can only achieve if we remain an attractive fisheries port with the best facilities, the best companies on the port and a growing local fishing fleet.
Where bulk cargo is concerned, by the end of the year we had handled 1.5 million tons of cargo in and out of the port. This figure is a full 88% above the 2015 level, which was itself an excellent year. General economic recovery means that the Danish construction industry is busy. This is reflected in raw materials extraction, which doubled to 1.3 million tons of gravel. Most other cargoes, such as biomass, crushed aggregate and gas oil, remained at status quo. Meanwhile, we saw renewed growth in fish waste traffic for the mink feed industry.
Increased bulk cargo activity is also evident from the increasing number of calls at the port, and growing income derived from them and ancillary services, such as sales of electricity and water, etc. In April 2016, Thyborøn Shipyard commissioned its new floating dock, which also made a positive contribution to the number of vessels calling at the port. Moreover, new port area lessees have arrived, prompted by the prospect of maritime service work as subsuppliers to the floating dock.
September saw the official opening of the Port of Thyborøn’s new cargo handling/offshore quay, Limfjordskaj II, already warmly welcomed by the users of various heavy goods activities. Shortly after, in October, we witnessed the first occasion on which four freight vessels were concomitantly berthed and engaged in loading/unloading operations on Limfjordskai I and Limfjordskaj II.
We expect to see further positive progress in all business areas on the Port of Thyborøn in 2017. The prospects for quotas of fish for human consumption seem good and advance signals from the industrial sector are also fairly positive. Within bulk handling, new cargo types are emerging. They come, not least, from the offshore sector. The jacket foundations for the Nissum Bredning offshore wind farm project will be shipped to and the project’s wind turbines from the new heavy goods quay. We regularly receive fresh enquiries about port area leases and we hope to introduce new players within fisheries and cargo during 2017.
Facts about the port
The Port of Thyborøn is an independent municipal port owned by Lemvig Municipality
The Port of Thyborøn has a total area of 900,000 m2 at its disposal
The Port of Thyborøn has about 5.5 km of quays
Water depth in basins and quays: up to 9 metres
Total bulk cargo revenue in 2016: 1,516,000 ton
Total fish cargo volume in 2016: 246,000 ton
Total value of fish cargo landed in 2016: DKK 910 million.
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