Port of Skagen
The Port of Skagen, also Skagen Harbour, is located in Skagen, northern Denmark. It contains an industrial harbour that supports the area's fishing industry as well as cruise ships. Other features include a shipyard and fish-processing facilities. The harbour's marina is open to visitors during the summer months.
The fishing harbour was built between 1904 and 1907, with inner and outer sections under the supervision of hydraulic engineer Palle Bruun. It was inaugurated on 20 November 1907,[1] and later additions were made for cold storage and the fish-processing industry. The distinctive warehouses next to the harbour were designed by Thorvald Bindesbøll.
The Skagen Port Authority is responsible for its administration.[2] FF Skagen, one of three companies supporting the Danish fish meal industry, has its processing plant on Skagen wharf.
Description
The port is situated in Ålbæk Bugt (Ålbæk Bay).[3] The harbour covers a total area of 1,015,000 m2 (10,930,000 sq ft), consisting of 645,000 m2 (6,940,000 sq ft) of land and 370,000 m2 (4,000,000 sq ft) of water. The quays and moorings have a total length of 5.5 km (3.4 mi), of which 970 m (3,180 ft) have a depth of 9 m (30 ft).[4] The harbour consists of the following basins: Ydre Forhavnsbassin, Vesthavn og Østhavn. The Vesthavn consists of Indre Forhavnsbassin, Bundgarnsbassin, Auktionsbassin, Mellembassin and Vestre Bassin, while the Østhavn consists of Østbassin I and Østbassin II. Skagen Lystbådehavn (Skagen's pleasure boat harbour) administers the area between Gamle Pier and Pier 2 in the Mellembassin. The harbour can accommodate ships up to 130 metres (430 ft) long and 20 metres (66 ft) wide with a draft of 7 metres (23 ft). Ships less than 90 metres (300 ft) long can moor at Quay 4 with a draft of 9 metres (30 ft).[5] The largest vessel to have visited Skagen Harbour is the cruise ship Silver Cloud with a length of 156 metres (512 ft), which moored on Quay 4 in 2010 and 2011.[6][7]
The Lystbådehavn (marina) between Piers 1 and 2 is open to visiting pleasure boats from 1 April to 30 September. While the Port of Skagen supervises the marina during the summer months, it uses its facilities for berthing fishing boats in the off-season. Frederikshavn Municipality is the official administrator.[8][9] Facilities include a diesel fuelling station at the end of Pier 1, a barbecue on Pier 1 and a service building with toilets, showers, washing machines and dryers. Wifi internet access is available throughout the marina.[10]
Founded in 1960, FF Skagen is one of three companies supporting the Danish fish-meal industry;[11] its processing plant is located on Skagen wharf.[12] As of 2011, statistics from the Danish Fisheries Directorate list Skagen Harbour as the leading fishing port in Denmark in terms of both the quantity of catches and their value.[13]
History
After years of discussion between Skagen's fishermen and the authorities, a commission was finally established in the 1880s, leading to an early proposal by Customs Inspector Holm that was not accepted. Under pressure from the fishermen, the Minister of the Interior assigned the engineer Berg to prepare a new proposal in 1888. This finally led to parliamentary approval on 23 April 1903, followed by a call for tenders on 26 January 1904. On the basis of a bid from Gunnarson & Søn og Elzelingen, work was initiated early in 1904 on Skagen's Sønderstand (south shore) just outside the town.[14] The work was supervised by the hydraulic engineer Palle Bruun who had reported on harbours in the Faroe Islands.[15]
The design consisted of two breakwaters some 500 m (1,600 ft) apart that stretched out to sea. With their outer extensions providing an entrance some 60 m (200 ft) wide, the harbour covered an area of almost 160,000 m2 (1,700,000 sq ft). The basin was divided by two cross piers, creating an outer harbour and an inner harbour with an entrance 40 m (130 ft) wide. A harbour-master's house, fish warehouse and a customs office were built in parallel. On 19 November 1907, King Frederik VIII ceremonially opened the port in the presence of the Skagen Painters, who had decorated the facilities with flags.[14] Carl Locher had designed an impressive gateway of honour.[14]
In May 1908, four warehouses on the quayside designed by Thorvald Bindesbøll were opened. In 1932, on the occasion of the harbour's 25th anniversary, Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen's statue of the fisherman and lifeboatman was unveiled.[14]
Extensions were made in 1938, 1957 and 1979, doubling the size of the harbour and providing new facilities for auctioning the catches from the 400 fishing boats registered in Skagen. In 2007, a new dry dock measuring 135 m (443 ft) by 25 m (82 ft) was built for Karstensen's wharf. Additional facilities for fish processing including a refrigeration plant were completed in 2008. [14]
Future plans
The harbour is currently being adapted to accommodate large international cruise ships. A new 450 m (1,480 ft) berth will be completed by 2015, while the existing 170 m (560 ft) berth will be extended to 200 m (660 ft).[16] On the shipbuilding front, Karstensens Skibsværft continues to prosper with orders for trawlers from Norway.[17]
References
- ^ Svanholm 2004, p. 24.
- ^ "Skagen Harbour". portarea.com. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
- ^ NIMA 2004, p. 109.
- ^ "Fakta & Beskrivelse", Skagen Havn. Template:Da icon Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "Skagen Havn", Danske Havnelods. Template:Da icon Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "Silver Cloud", Skagensiden. Template:Da icon Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "Silver Cloud Luxury Cruise Ship", Silversea. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "Marina", Skagen Havn. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ "Skagen Lystbådehavn", Frederikshavn Kommune. Template:Da icon Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ "Skagen Lystbådehavn", Toppen af Danmark. Template:Da icon Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ Sornn-Friese & Hansen 2012, p. 94.
- ^ "Production with documentation ... at Skagen Wharf". FF Skagen. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ "Skagen Havn: Årsberetning 2011". Template:Da icon Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "Havnens historie", Skagen Havn. Template:Da icon Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ "Palle Bruun", Dansk Biografisk Leksikon. Template:Da icon Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ "Cruise Baltic welcomes new partner - the Port Of Skagen, Denmark", Skagen Havn, 26 September 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ "Skagenværft sikrer arbejde til 140 mand", Maritime Danmark, 14 July 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
- Bibliography
- NIMA (1 January 2004). Pub193, 2004 Sailing Directions (Enroute): Skaggerat and Kattegat. ProStar Publications. ISBN 978-1-57785-565-1.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Sornn-Friese, Henrik; Hansen, Carsten Orts (11 September 2012). Landlubbers and Seadogs: The Case of Labour Mobility in the Danish Maritime Sector in a Time of Accelerating Globalisation. Copenhagen Business School Press DK. ISBN 978-87-630-0246-2.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Svanholm, Lise (2004). Northern Light: The Skagen Painters. Gyldendal A/S. ISBN 978-87-02-02817-1.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)
External links
Media related to Port of Skagen at Wikimedia Commons