Port of Esbjerg

Built by the State in 1868, it was once Denmark's principal fishing harbour but today has become Europe's leading port for shipping offshore wind turbines.

Esbjerg was established in 1868 as a replacement for the harbour in Altona,[1] which had previously been Denmark's most important North Sea port but came under German control after the Second Schleswig War in 1864.

In addition to container and passenger traffic, it has attracted fish-processing activities and marine repair work as well as a wide variety of supporting services.

[8] The Port of Esbjerg covers a total land area of 3.5 million m2 (1.35 sq miles), has 10 km (6.2 mi) of quays and an alongside depth of some 4.5 m (15 ft).

[8] Esbjerg has served the Danish offshore industry since oil and gas was first extracted from the North Sea in the early 1970s.

[11] In this connection, in June 2013 the port was significantly expanded with the opening of the Østhavn (East Harbour) covering an area of 650,000 m2 (7,000,000 sq ft).