Progress on all shelves

Containers, solid and liquid bulk, cruise, passenger, project cargo and ro-ro. For the first time in many years, the Port of Aarhus achieved growth in all business areas in 2021. Total turnover increased by 889,000 tons of cargo to more than 10 million tons of cargo - equivalent to handling more than 1,000 tons of cargo every hour of the year.

A large part of the growth was driven by container turnover, which increased by 95,000 containers (TEU) to a total of 718,000 TEU. This is an increase of no less than 15 percent - after a few years in which container turnover has increased considerably. Over the past five years, turnover has increased by 58%.

CEO Thomas Haber Borch is extremely pleased that the Port of Aarhus can achieve revenue growth across the board in 2021, especially as 2020 was not a bad year for the company despite the impact of the pandemic. But he also emphasizes that there are no expectations that the success will necessarily be repeated on the same scale in the coming years.

"While many other ports in the world have been burdened by the global supply chains being under pressure and cargo piling up with major delays as a result, here in Aarhus we have been able to take in the ships and handle the cargo "in time". During the year, we have been challenged by lack of space in several places at the port, but I think we have found good solutions together with our customers," says Thomas Haber Borch.

He is pleased with the development in the bulk area, although the increases here are more modest. On the other hand, the business area "passengers" showed significant growth, and this can be explained, among other things, by the fact that the pandemic has placed fewer restrictions on travel between the regions in 2021 than was the case in 2020. Turnover in project cargo, on the other hand, has more than doubled, albeit at a modest level, while the ro-ro area realizes growth slightly above average.

"And then some may wonder why we have had an increase in cruises. It is also a bit of a curiosity, as we had one call in 2021 compared to zero the year before - and therefore progress," says Thomas Haber Borch.

The explanation is superfluous, as the cruise industry has been shut down for the past two years. During this period, the Port of Aarhus has reconsidered the cruise industry, which has resulted in a decision to invest in a shore power plant for cruise ships. When the facility is ready in 2023, cruises will be a business area that the company will once again focus on.