FUTUREPROOFING A COMMERCE FOCUSED PORT

Photo: Per Aarsleff

The Port of Hanstholm is a major fishing port on the North Sea and is situated in the most exposed location on the entire west coast of Denmark. It generates 1,600 local jobs and drives business development throughout the municipality.

The Port of Hanstholm is currently undergoing a major 500 million DKK design-build expansion, which includes constructing new outer breakwaters, a new and deeper harbour entrance, new and larger quays, and hinterland. To protect the new port basin and quay wall from wave heights of up to approximately 14-15 m, COWI, in close collaboration with client and contractor Aarsleff A/S, has designed a 1 km long eastern breakwater and 400 m long western breakwater.

Instead of using the traditional rock armour for the breakwaters, which would require individual armour rocks of up to 40 tonnes and be particularly vulnerable to damage during construction, a new type of artificial concrete armour units called Cubipods were selected as a more robust alternative.