Newsletter June 2025
News from the Harbor
v. vice chairman Hans Schneider
Hvide Sande Harbor would like to be the Town's harbor. It is crucial that the city and harbor are in close collaboration and dialogue.
There is so much happening all around the harbor. Our harbor is not particularly large, but there are many very different initiatives underway, and that is delightful, as it helps ensure the development of the harbor. Regardless of whether one speaks of tourism, fishing, industry, or crafts, there is the vitality that characterizes Hvide Sande, and which we need to create the best conditions for here at the harbor.
Therefore, Hvide Sande Harbor will send out a newsletter once in each quarter to the Harbor's users and others who are interested in the Harbor. We hope that you will find joy in reading about the Harbor. Of course, this is a new initiative, and it may indeed be that we need to adjust the format along the way; if you have ideas for adjustments, we would also like to hear about it.
Big and small about everyday life at Hvide Sande Harbor
Spring equals many activities at Hvide Sande Harbor. It is nice to feel the activity all around the harbor. The increasing activity also brings more busyness, but remember that there is a speed limit of 30 km/h everywhere in the harbor.
A special initiative we would like to highlight is the collection of fishing nets for use in Ukraine's struggle for freedom. It has been shown that the fishing nets are suitable for resisting drone attacks, and in that way, Ukrainians can save lives and reduce material destruction. It is lovely that users from Hvide Sande Harbor can also be involved in this.
During 2025, we will work to improve parking conditions in several places. New parking spaces have been established near the Auction Hall, and the area behind the Cash Hall has been marked. We are also looking at optimizing parking options at the Sports Fisher Center and on the inner part of pier 81a at Nordhavnskaj.
We expect to get new asphalt on the northern part of pier 81 and the outer part of pier 81a during the summer.
New lamps will be installed in the streetlights all over the harbor during 2025. We got new streetlights in 2024, but it turned out that they could not withstand our climate. Fortunately, the Supply Company is now ensuring their replacement.
As mentioned elsewhere, we want to work on sustainability. We are therefore experimenting with a slightly better waste sorting at our Night Parking lots, where we can sort the waste a bit better than has previously been possible. It should also be clarified that all waste areas at the Harbor are for the use of the Harbor's users when they have waste in connection with what they do at the harbor.
We also want to work with Hvide Sande Harbor as the Town's harbor. Therefore, we would, among other things, like to establish a lunch package area somewhere. If you have ideas on where it could be, please feel free to give us a hint about it.
One of the frustrations last winter has been our EIVA buoy out by the entrance, which is supposed to help provide knowledge about the current conditions. Fortunately, the supplier has initiated work to find out why it keeps breaking down, so hopefully, we will soon have a more stable buoy.
Key figures May 2025
Fishing has seen a decrease in the landed amount of industrial fish from 11,683 tons in 2024 to 6,668 tons in 2025 during the first 5 months. Prices have improved in 2025, and the decrease in value is only 10%.
Landings and value of fish at auction are almost unchanged from 2024. For shrimp fishing, there has been a halving since last year. Landings of crabs are almost unchanged compared to 2024.
The amount of goods over the pier is almost unchanged compared to 2024; in 2025, 58,000 tons have been unloaded over the pier. Building materials, shards, and gravel are the dominant category in 2025, while the amount of feedstuffs has decreased from 23,000 tons in 2024 to 4,000 tons in 2025.
Have you heard that, the sprat quota this year is 163,334 tons in the North Sea
New strategy
The Harbor's board and management have developed a new strategy for the Harbor's development – the strategy applies for the period 2025-2030.
The Harbor has the following 4 themes:
The four overarching strategic goals are:
1. Offshore wind
Hvide Sande Harbor should be Denmark's best service harbor, and therefore, we must serve all wind farms in the area of North Sea 1, and parts of the construction activities for these parks should be based at Hvide Sande Harbor. If we succeed, we have good opportunities for future securing of Hvide Sande Harbor, and we will have far better opportunities to develop other activities.
2. General business development
Hvide Sande Harbor is characterized by having relatively many business areas. This should also be the case going forward. Therefore, we must ensure that the development in offshore wind is accompanied by the development in other areas, and we should be known as the multi-port on the West Coast that is best at finding solutions. Fishing must therefore be larger than it is today. The volume of transport and goods must be at least 250,000 tons in 2030. Revenue from land lease must increase by 20% in 2030 compared to today.
3. Sustainability
Hvide Sande Harbor will work with sustainability as part of its foundation. Hvide Sande Harbor will strengthen its efforts in selected areas. The Harbor must thus be CO2-neutral in 2030 and an important contributor to national and municipal goals for CO2 neutrality. We believe this is one of the avenues for more activities in the Harbor. The Harbor must also work to strengthen its social responsibility and have a better staff composition in 2030 than today in terms of age and gender composition.
4. The Town's Harbor
Hvide Sande Harbor must be the town's harbor. The town emerged as a result of the Harbor, and the Harbor has gained its strength due to energetic people in the town. Fewer citizens today have their daily work at the harbor, and for many, it means less that the Harbor is an active commercial port. Hvide Sande Harbor will measure the city's experience of the harbor, and the goal is for the measurement to show close interconnectedness between the town and the harbor.
The four topics have been chosen because they reflect where we as ports have the best opportunities to develop in the coming years. Offshore wind offers the potential for a significant increase in the harbor's revenue. It is important for the harbor's DNA that fishing continues to play a central role in the harbor, and through projects like Langsand and Sluseøen, there are opportunities to develop tourism and increase revenue in both the harbor and the town. All forms of development of the harbor require that the harbor has a sustainable approach to how it solves its tasks. And finally, we must never forget that the town and the harbor have emerged together – it is important that the harbor preserves its connection to the town in its development.
Did you know that, January 1, 2026, will mark 25 years since Holmsland Municipality took over Hvide Sande Harbor from the State Harbor Administration in Esbjerg.
Survey
Historically, Hvide Sande Harbor has had a close collaboration with Hvide Sande Town – the roots are also common. In the old days, a large part of the town's citizens worked at the harbor - that is no longer the case.
Today, reality is different. There are many other things to do in Hvide Sande than work at the harbor, and Hvide Sande Harbor is also engaged in a number of different activities, where the harbor's tasks are for many others than just businesses and citizens in Hvide Sande.
All of this means that Hvide Sande Harbor must strive to earn the town's support, and therefore, Hvide Sande Harbor's strategy includes a theme that we should be "The Town's harbor".
As part of this, we have conducted a measurement among members of Hvidesande.by, which represents the town's merchants, etc. There are 38 members of Hvidesande.by who have responded.
On one side, there is overall a reasonably good assessment of the collaboration with Hvide Sande Harbor and the Harbor's reputation. On the other side, there is room for improvement in these areas. Fortunately, many took the time to comment on what they think the Harbor can do better. Several believe that the Harbor does not have enough focus on the development of tourism, while others feel there are uncertainties about the possibility of getting long-term lease agreements with Hvide Sande Harbor and that the price for leasing the areas is too high.
On the other hand, there is overall satisfaction with the cleanliness of the harbor's areas and no complaints about the toilets.
There also seems to be indications that parking challenges are not as big as we have perceived them – and there is only small support for a parking house if it is to be financed through parking fees in the town center.
Hvide Sande Harbor has been allowed to host an event at Hvidesande.by after the summer, where we will further go through the survey and what we will do regarding the many constructive statements.
Henning's anecdotes:
The true story of why it is called Æ Tyskerhavn!
For many years there have been speculations about why it is called Æ Tyskerhavn. Some say it has to do with the war. Others believe there once lived a German there. And then there are those who think it is about geography. Many explanations have been put forward – but here you will get the truthful account, which both draws threads to the history of the dunes and to a certain farmer king on the dunes.
Back in 1910, the first canal at Hvide Sande was dug through the dunes. But already in 1912, after severe storms, it had become 260 meters wide. This led the authorities in Copenhagen to order a closure. For that work, materials were needed, and they were sailed in to the location we now know as Tyskerhaven. But that does not explain the name – it is a entirely different story.
In the mid-1800s, spread dune farms lay from Søndervig in the north to Bjerregård in the south. Here, people lived off the land, the fjord, and the sea. It was a simple but industrious life, where the community meant everything.
North of the present Hvide Sande lived a man they called the Farmer King. He was well-liked, quick-witted, and an eager participant when the farmers gathered to play cards. One winter evening, there was a gathering at Æ sønderklit. The cards flew, the coffee punch was strong, and the stories only got better as the night went on. The Farmer King had a good evening – he won a good sum and drank plenty.
On his way home, feeling content and wrapped in blankets, he leaned back in the cart. The horses knew the way. But as the night grew darker, his eyes grew heavier. The Farmer King fell asleep.
A little north of today's Tyskerhavn, a small bridge crossed a ditch. The horses passed as they usually did, but the cart slipped – and the Farmer King ended up in the ditch with a splash.
As he, drenched, stumbled out of the ditch, he hoped no one had seen it. But unfortunately, the rest of the farmers, who had been to the card game, came shortly after. “Hwa lawer do der?” they asked, laughing. The Farmer King had to admit he had fallen asleep.
The Farmer King hoped the episode would be forgotten, but it was in the dunes, as it still is in Hvide Sande, it does not take much before one gets a nickname or there is another name found for something, and that also happened here.
The story of the farmer king who ended up in the ditch spread like wildfire across the dunes. From then on, he was called Æ Vådekonge, and the ditch – it was dubbed Kongeåen.
Kongeåen was the boundary ditch north of Jens Thomsen's farm (later Kristen Tarbensen's farm, on Apollovej). The area south of Kongeåen was therefore dubbed Tyskland, and consequently, the residents were called “æ tyskere”.
When VBV established the landing site for the closure of the Hvide Sande canal in 1912 in “Tyskland”, fishermen from the local farms, æ Tyskere, immediately started to use the new landing site.
Thus came the name Tyskerhavnen!
And that dear reader, is the truthful story — which has not been made worse with time. Å it is æ once a loan.
A new tender for offshore wind is on the way
As is known, no one wanted to bid on any of the offshore wind farms that were tendered in 2024. Three of the parks were located just west of Hvide Sande, so it was a tender that was followed with great interest from the Harbor, and there was also dialogue with several energy companies.
The Danish Parliament has discussed what the state can do to promote interest in a new tender. It has now been agreed that this time