The DanFish International 2025 exhibition is a key meeting place for Danish port operators, providing a unique opportunity to present the services they offer, highlight investment in facilities, and meet their customers.
‘DanFish gives us a unique opportunity to connect with some of the most important and influential players in the fishing industry. At Port of Hirtshals, we continuously work to strengthen circularity by identifying missing links in local value chains,’ said Linn Indrestrand, the port’s head of fishery and maritime services.
‘What better place to explore new possibilities than right here at DanFish?’
While Hirtshals is growing rapidly in a number of directions, and with ferry traffic, shipping and a range of further actitivies that contributed to its 2024 record revenue of DKK87.4 million, the port’s fisheries activities accounted for the biggest jump in growth in 2024 and the highest landing values seen in five years – and a third up on the 2023 figures.
There’s plenty going on at the north Jutland port, not least with the Nordhavn port expansion, seen as an essential element of maintaining the position Hirtshals holds as central to the traffic between Norway and Europe, and as a gateway for seafood imports from across the North Atlantic.
’At Port of Hirtshals, we focus on the full value chain for circular initiatives. DanFish is a valuable platform for identifying outstanding partners in every link; from aquaculture and fishing to logistics, transport, software and finance. This trade fair truly brings it all together,’ Linn Indrestrand said.
‘The fishing industry is changing rapidly, so we need to constantly adapt. DanFish offers a front-row view into the technologies, partnerships and solutions shaping the future of blue industries, and we’re here to be part of that transformation.’
Upgraded facilities
On the west coast of Denmark the Port of Thyborøn has already been through a process of investment and upgrading to support the fishing sector, with new quaysides and basins dredged to ensure access for the largest fishing vessels.
‘Last year we dredged the inner basins to maintain the full nine metre depth there. The channel into the port of Thyborøn has an eleven metre depth and we expect to dredge this to increase both the depth and the width,’ said Port of Thyborøn CEO Kjartan Ross.
‘A few years ago we constructed new quays and put in new facilities for both consumption and industrial fisheries, so we have everything that’s needed to land fish in Thyborøn in the best way possible.’
With upgraded facilities for fisheries in place, the focus is shifting to other sectors, and another of the port zones is now being developed for the offshore sector.
‘It’s important to ensure there’s enough activity to support the variety of service companies we have in Thyborøn. So, investment for the offshore sector supports the businesses we have in the port that also work with fishing operators.’
One of Denmark’s main ports for both consumer and industrial fish landings, Thyborøn is home to the TripleNine plant, one of the largest fishmeal producers in the North Atlantic region. In recent years this has seen significant investment in a collaboration between the company and the port to double the rate of discharging facilities, while local suppliers also boosted bunkering and fresh water supply capacity.
’We’ll be at Danfish this year. We see it as important that the Port of Thyborøn is well represented there, and a lot of the service companies based in the port will also be present at the exhibition, Kjartan Ross said.
‘Danfish is one of the largest fishing sector exhibitions and for us it’s an opportunity to meet vessel operators and owners, and to get their views on the market as a whole and anything that can be improved. It’s a great place to meet a lot of folks.’
He commented that the Danfish exhibition in Aalborg never fails to be well attended, and at a time when the industry, as a whole, is facing challenges, a meeting point like this plays a vital role.
‘It makes it even more important to meet, get people’s views and discuss what can be done differently or better,’ he said.
