When the very last coal barge has left the dock at Ensted Bulk Terminal (EBT) in the second quarter of 2021, the Port of Aabenraa will take over the terminal from the current owner, Vattenfall.
The purchase agreement was signed on Tuesday, 4 February. The acquisition of EBT had previously been discussed and approved by the Board of the Port of Aabenraa, and Aabenraa Municipality’s City Council approved the purchase at the City Council meeting on 29 January.
Ensted Bulk Terminal consists of, among other things, 500 meters of contiguous mooring space with a water depth of 18 meters and a 163,000 square meter area, which has been used primarily for loading, transhipment and coal storage.
In 2021, Ensted Bulk Terminal will be merged with the 155,000 square meters of land acquired by the Port of Aabenraa from Dong in 2015 and named Aabenraa Industrial Port. As a result, the total area of Aabenraa Industrial Port will include 318,000 square meters. And that opens up new and attractive development opportunities for the Port of Aabenraa:
- We have acquired a port platform that is not only unique in Denmark – it also opens up attractive development opportunities for companies throughout Northern Europe and the Baltic Region. From 2021, Aabenraa Industrial Port will really have the potential to attract new customers and new types of businesses and create new jobs, says Erwin Andresen, Chairman of the Port of Aabenraa.
The 18-meter-deep and 500-meter-long mooring space can accommodate huge ships, but in the coming district plan, the area is – as something special – expected to be approved for environmental class 7 activities, which include, for example, recycling activities, metal processing, wind turbines, heavy industry and scrap and waste sorting, etc.
The acquisition of EBT takes place in accordance with Aabenraa Municipality’s ownership strategy for the port. The acquisition of the area also fits well with proposals for the district plan for the area which allows the Port of Aabenraa to ensure further development – including the development of a recycle island with special focus on sustainable development of Ensted.
Offers for Relocation
But the expansion of the Aabenraa Industrial Port also means that more of the Port of Aabenraa’s current customers who have activities in the city port may be offered a more future-proof location of their activities at the Aabenraa Industrial Port.
- At the Aabenraa Industrial Port, there is room for some of our current customers to grow and expand their space-intensive stock. And there is better access to the motorway and thus faster access to both northern Germany and southern Denmark, says Erwin Andresen, Chairman of the Port of Aabenraa.
Port Director Henrik Thykjær points out that the offer of relocation will be given on the basis of own wishes and in a close dialogue with each of customers of the Port of Aabenraa.
- There are many considerations that need to be balanced. A relocation must be a ‘win’ for the customer, a ‘win’ for the port and a ‘win’ for the city, says Henrik Thykjær.
The area that has housed the EV3 boiler of Enstedværket, which was blasted away in May and December, is currently owned by Rimeco while the recycling and sorting of the building materials is taking place done. In the second half of 2020, this area of 83,000 square meters will be taken over by the Aabenraa Municipality. According to the Municipality’s ownership strategy, it is the plan that also this area will become part of Aabenraa Industrial Port over time.
The Port of Aabenraa will take over the eight Ensted Bulk Terminal employees.
FACTS
Ensted Bulk Terminal:
• Coal harbour since 1959
• Built in its current form in 1979
• Water depth: 18 meters
• Total berthing length: 500 meters
• Designed to handle 6 million tons of coal annually
• Coal harbour area: 163,000 m2
Aabenraa Industrihavn A/S after the transaction:
• Total area at Ensted: 320,000 m2
• Total building stock: 24,000 m2 of mixed halls, warehouses, workshops and offices
Signature of the agreement at Advokatfirmaet Bech Bruun on 4 February.
