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Busiest fishing harbor scales up |
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Archives -
2006 Archive
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Written by B. Tyril
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Monday, 08 May 2006 |
With a new deepwater container terminal successfully opened—backed by a huge subsea tunnel to connect Borđoy island with the so called Main Area—the busy Port of Klaksvík has had a major upgrade; but there is still more to come in terms of local business development.
As massive infrastructure developments are reaching finalization, no wonder expectations run high in Klaksvík, the capital of the Faroese fishing industry and the country’s second-largest town on the northern island of Borđoy. With a newly opened deepwater container terminal, the Port of Klaksvík has become extended by a 200-meter quayside with 20,000 square meters of open storage area—enabling the port to receive calls from large vessels with a draft of up to 12 meters, whether factory trawlers, cargo ships or cruise liners.
Perfectly timed for the arrival of the giant trawler Atlantic Navigator in late 2005, and only a few months before the opening of the colossal underwater tunnel between Klaksvík and Leirvík, the new addition to the harbor’s facilities is fuelling new business. Under pressure to prepare for new realities posed by the fixed link, the municipal authorities have launched several large development schemes designed to boost local business in the face of anticipated competition.
“The Ánir Cargo Terminal is working very good,” said Rani Nolsöe, business development consultant with the Klaksvík municipality and a board member of the Klaksvík Port Authority. “We were hoping that it would at least increase traffic to some degree… Well, as things look now, our hopes were not unrealistic, quite the contrary. The Atlantic Navigator has discharged her cargo every month since January and a lot of business has been generated, and this is of course encouraging.”
According to Mr Nolsöe, local businesses were working out plans (as of April 2006) to set up a new cold storage facility on the new harbor area at Ánir in the northern end of Klaksvík. “I think we’re going to see some very substantial growth in terms of business activities and local economy—but I also believe we have to help make it happen.”
The big-time event on the cards is first of all the opening of the 6.3-kilometer underwater tunnel, which is scheduled for early summer 2006. The tunnel will connect Klaksvík directly to Leirvík on the island of Eysturoy, which is part of the so called Main Area—the islands Eysturoy-Streymoy-Vágar, with important industrial and commercial clusters, the capital of Tórshavn and the country’s airport.
Part of the strategy to ensure that the dkk 355m (eur 48m / usd 58m) subsea tunnel will draw at least as many people toward Klaksvík as it may pull in the other direction, is to build shopping centers and pursue other means by which to attract business and people.
“We were a bit nervous a year ago,” Mr Nolsöe said. “But the municipality has managed to move ahead decisively and today I’m quite confident our response to the situation has been correct. We have very good growth prospects now.”
In addition to developing two large building sites for retail shopping, the municipality of Klaksvík has invested heavily in road construction work, both in terms of links to the subsea tunnel and to the Ánir Cargo Terminal. Combined, the new terminal, the West Quay, the Kósin Quay and the Fuel Terminal offer 48,000 square metes of open storage plus a host facilities and services that include cold storage and stevedoring.
As to bunkering, fuel and diesel are available from both Shell and Statoil at the Fuel Terminal and from road tankers at all piers throughout the harbor area. Fresh water and electricity are available at all piers from shore installations, as are ice and salt as well as provisions. Likewise, ship repairs are conveniently close to hand with Klakvíkar Sleipistöđ’s 800-ton capacity slipway plus other services available, including mechanical and electrical repairs; for instance, there are three mobile cranes available with lifting capacities from 8 to 36 tons.
The maximum local tidal range is 1.2 meters, well short of disrupting port operations, according to port director Jógvan Klakkstein. With depths ranging from 35 to 45 meters on the roads in lee of Kunoy not far from the harbor, the port offers also excellent anchorage. Surrounded by sheltering terrain and approachable in all weather and any kind of tide, the Port of Klaksvík is arguably the safest and best protected in the Faroes. With main entrance from the northwest between the island of Kunoy and the mountain of Klakkur, the approach is excellent as northbound and southbound sailing routes are deep and clearly marked, without restrictions and ice-free year round.
Link to pdf presentation...
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