Århus Hub for Balticum

The port of Aarhus – a hub today and in future

The port of Aarhus has already established a position for itself as an important Baltic hub. Ocean-going container ships call at the port to load and unload cargos which are transported to or from Aarhus on feeder ships from various countries around the Baltic Sea. The port of Aarhus has the potential to become the main hub in the Baltic region. The Baltic Sea is an interesting area for the port of Aarhus and for our customers. Today, large volumes of cargo are being traded within the Baltic region, and approx. 80 per cent of the containers being shipped in the Baltic Sea are en route to an overseas destination. For many of the countries, their relatively new EU membership will result in a market increase in the volume of exports and imports in the coming years.

The port of Aarhus – natural advantages

There is a good basis for developing the harbour. The port of Aarhus is already the largest container port in Denmark, handling almost 900,000 TEUs a year and with a market share of 65 per cent of the total number of containers handled by Danish ports. The port is ideally located in relation to the home market - not far from the centres of consumption as well as production in Denmark. Furthermore, nature has provided the port of Aarhus with af range of significant advantages, for examble a natural water depth to match the requirements of large, ocean-going container ships. In addition, there are no natural hindrances that can hamper vessels calling at the port – for example large waves and winter ice.

Competitive on price and efficiency

The port’s geographical advantages, high levels of efficiency and the free competition between several terminal operators have made the port of Aarhus one of the most competitive on the market. Efficiency can be expressed relatively as we hold the European record for the number of container lifts per crane hour. The price level is also strengthened by the synergies which arise when several operators use the same equipment, for example the Post-Panamax container cranes which are owned by Port of Aarhus. Ships calling at the port are free to choose whether they will use the port’s own pilot, mooring and towage services. There is no compulsion but if the need arises our prices are highly competitive.

EU: More by sea – less by land

As goods volumes increase, it is necessary to find faster and more efficient ways of transporting them. There is already significant pressure on the North European motorway network and on the container ports that flank the European continent to the west. To relieve the traffic problems, the EU has some time ago declared that sea transport must be promoted so as to reduce the volumes of cargo transported by road. The most recent development has been the introduction of a motorway toll on goods traffic in Germany. The port of Aarhus is close to the new markets around the Baltic Sea. Very close. And in using the port of Aarhus, one avoids the time-consuming queues in the congested ports.