Business is booming at Kolding Port

More employees, more investments and more activities. Despite the politicians' intention that the Port of Kolding should be liquidated, the Port of Kolding continues to grow.

The local politicians' intention to liquidate the Port of Kolding created uncertainty about what this would mean for the business community at the port in the short term. However, the Port of Kolding was quick to announce that they would do their utmost to provide good and up-to-date service to the port's customers and partners throughout the period. After the initial surprise has subsided, this strategy seems to be bearing fruit. In any case, a satisfied port director can state that the Port of Kolding is still growing.

- If the trend for the first part of the year continues, it is possible that we can set a new record for turnover at the port for the fourth year in a row, says Anders Vangsbjerg Sørensen, Director of Kolding Port.

The world's best neighbor
Growth means, among other things, that the Port of Kolding will continue to focus on good neighborliness. Within the last 3-4 years, the Port of Kolding has eliminated the vast majority of odor nuisances, so that it is now only a few days or hours a year when you will be slightly bothered - and this type of initiative continues at the port:

- We are committed to upgrading our areas for handling recycled metal and other materials, including effective shielding against noise and dust. We also continue to invest in new terminal equipment that is not only more efficient but also less noisy, and we are introducing new cargo handling processes to reduce noise. Today, we comply with current legislation without any problems, but we want to be "the world's best neighbor". It may be difficult to capture the many small positive changes that are happening all the time, but things are moving in the right direction. For example, conditions are now so reasonable that Restaurant Admiralen at Kolding Harbor has established outdoor serving, says Anders Sørensen.

The growth testifies to the need
Anders Vangsbjerg Sørensen praises both the companies at the port and the employees at the Port of Kolding for the continued growth - despite the gloomy outlook. However, he also recognizes that the growth may be an expression of the lack of real alternatives to the companies that the Port of Kolding serves:

- We can see that the companies at the port have started hiring again and investing in warehouses and high-tech production equipment. If there were some real alternatives to the Port of Kolding, it is possible that some of the companies would have chosen to invest there instead, but the capacity is exhausted at many of the nearest ports, so it is difficult for companies to find an alternative.

Right now, there is general growth in Europe. This is important for the port's activities, as the Port of Kolding is a so-called short sea port, where the vast majority of ships come from the local area, which in this industry stretches from Morocco to the North Cape. Right now, some economists are predicting that a recession is coming in Germany. If it takes hold - and spreads to the rest of Europe - it could create extra challenges for the port's partners.

- I fear that the uncertain future will mean that port companies and the Port of Kolding will be particularly hard hit if there is a downturn in the European economy, says Anders Vangsbjerg Sørensen