A request from us: Have you noticed any new developments in the area that are missing from our overview? Write an e-mail to the editorial team (mail@yacht.de) and tell us what it's about. We can then make this information available here for all sailors.
The messages are listed according to topicality.
Mommark (Region Syddanmark, Island of Als)
Status 16/07/2024 |Following the previously reported progress, the harbour has been open again regularly for several months. According to Carsten Kock, this also applies to a large part of Denmark. However, there is still one problem: "We are fully open again, but the sailors are not coming," reports the harbour master of Mommark Marina.
The reason for this may be the premature reopening, which some sailors are still unaware of. Originally, a large number of harbours throughout the region were supposed to remain closed for the entire season.
Important: Instead of a depth of up to three metres, only around 2.30 metres are currently measured at the entrance to Mommark harbour. Dredging will not be allowed again until the beginning of August, when the original depth will be restored.
Mommark (Region Syddanmark, Island of Als)
Status 22.5.2024 | Huge progress in the harbour at the south-eastern tip of Als: During a visit to YACHT yesterday, operator Carsten Kock said: "Last week we put the second floating dock on the starboard side after the entrance back into operation, and next week the first one in front of it will follow. Water and electricity are also already available. Things are progressing well!" However, the wooden jetty directly behind the green beacon is still completely destroyed, but the permanent residents there want to take care of the rapid reconstruction themselves.
The floating jetties on the opposite side were also already in operation, but the pier there was officially closed to guests as it still has many holes and warped edges from the storm. Only the crews are currently allowed to pass through there. However, the craters are also due to be filled in next week and the pier will then be reopened. The bathing jetty behind the harbour has also been rebuilt. The moorings at the very end of the harbour basin, directly in front of the restaurant, can also be used again.
The harbour, restaurant and campsite were already back in operation and, as always on sunny weekends, were well frequented. Only the entrance is sandy and very narrow and has to be used on the right-hand side, a red buoy is far to the right, two small floating red and green balls mark the entrance behind it.
"You shouldn't plan for a depth of more than 2.3 metres," says operator Carsten Kock.
And dredging is currently not permitted in Mommark for nature conservation reasons, says Kock, but he is hoping for an exemption and then dredging in August. The latest in-depth information is always available on the Website of the harbour.
However, the wall that was supposed to protect the harbour on the incoming port side from the high tide will not be rebuilt. Operator Carsten Kock has started the approval process for an expansion of the marina, which envisages the construction of a second harbour basin at the level of the old smokehouse with a new pier. "Progress is being made, the first approval hurdles have been overcome". If it works, he wants to expand Mommark to a total of 300 berths. However, he is still looking for investors for the 17 million euro project with a crane, service and winter storage hall.
Anyone still looking for a berth: Three permanent berths are still available. However, only if the crews promise to sail regularly at weekends and preferably go sailing for a few weeks in the summer, as Kock needs the berths for guests. The damage to the harbour has cost a lot of money, the Danish insurance companies did not have to pay out in the event of a storm surge...
Asaa (Region Nordjylland)
Status: 21/05/2024 | Due to silting, the Asaa harbour on the Kattegat will be closed to all shipping traffic until probably the end of May. The Danish Maritime Authority would also like to point out that during this period, the relevant navigation signs will also be withdrawn and the harbour entrance lights will remain extinguished.
Klintholm (Region Zealand, Island of Møn)
Status: 21/05/2024 | According to a reader who recently visited the popular harbour on Møn, the damage caused by the storm surge in October last year is still clearly visible: The jetties were particularly affected, which is likely to result in a significantly lower number of guest berths. The central jetty in the western part of the harbour is completely missing. The jetty at the petrol station has been rebuilt, but does not yet have electricity and water again, according to our reader. Damage was also still visible in the commercial harbour next door.
Rødvig (Region Zealand, Island of Zealand)
Status: 21/05/2024 | According to our reader, the restrictions for recreational boaters in Rødvig are still immense. The harbour entrance and concrete quay in the eastern half of the harbour (on the starboard side of the entrance) have been destroyed, and there are also no jetties in the western part on the port side, meaning that the remaining berths are almost completely occupied by local boats. Construction machinery was not present when our reader visited, there was no construction activity.
Hesnæs (Region Zealand, Falster Island)
Status: 21/05/2024 | As previously reported, Hesnæs harbour remains completely closed due to the destruction caused by this year's storm surge. Our reader was also on site here and describes the situation vividly:
The harbour is completely destroyed. The former quay wall on the east side is completely gone and the harbour entrance is "closed" with two yellow buoys with a cross.
And further: "Two former floating jetties lie ashore. The harbour is completely silted up and large stones from the former quay wall are also lying in the harbour basin."
Mommark (Region Syddanmark, Island of Als)
Status: 17/05/2024 | Shallow depths in the entrance: According to official information from the Danish Maritime Authority, the fairway in the entrance to Mommark Marina currently only has a continuous depth of around 2.3 metres. According to current information, this situation must be expected to continue until mid-August. However, the pier lights are back in operation.
Sønderborg (Region Syddanmark, Island of Als)
Status: 17/05/2024 | Good news from Sønderborg: The pier lights at the marina (Sønderborg Lystbådehavn) are working again. Water and electricity are now also available again at all jetties. With the exception of the WLAN network in the harbour, which is not yet working again, there are no longer any restrictions for permanent and guest berth holders. The late effects of the storm surge have been eliminated
General situation (all of Denmark)
Status: 16/05/2024 | The severe Baltic Sea storm surge on 20 October 2023 not only hit German ports, but also many Danish ports, in some cases severely. Flid, the association of marinas in the neighbouring country, estimates the volume of damage to 59 affected facilities at around twelve million euros. At the time of going to press, however, only one harbour will remain completely closed this season despite considerable damage in some cases: Hesnæs on Falster, which is popular with many crews for stopovers.
In many places, however, it was not just the storm damage alone that kept harbour operators busy during the winter months. In some places, preparations are now being made for rising water levels and strong winds in the longer term by converting to floating docks.
The Danish harbours counted over one million overnight stays in 2023, most of which were accounted for by sailors from abroad. Wherever possible, the harbours are adapting to the increasing demands of guest sailors. Marina capacities are being expanded, new breakwaters are being built and coastal protection measures are being taken.
In some cases, harbour approaches are also changing. For example in Copenhagen. We start there with our summary of the 18 most important changes that sailors should be prepared for this season when setting course for the neighbouring country.
Copenhagen (Hovedstaden region, island of Zealand)
Status: 16/05/2024 | In Copenhagen, preparations are underway for the capital's largest infrastructure project: Lynetteholmen. Over the next few decades, a seven-kilometre-long peninsula will be built on the northern approach to the harbour, Ydre Nordhavn, to create additional space for housing and local recreation.
In view of climate change, it also has a protective function against storm surges. A total of no less than 275 hectares of usable land will be reclaimed from the Baltic Sea for this purpose. First, a stone enclosure will be erected, which will then be filled with rubble as it progresses. The construction of this boundary will take place in two phases, the first of which has already been completed: the southern connection of Lynetteholmen to the existing Refshaleøen peninsula.
Work is now underway on the far more extensive phase two, which will enclose the water area to the north of it, so that the main fairway, Kronløbet, will in future resemble a canal, the northern bank of which will be formed by the new district of Nordhavn.
Even though the completion of Lynetteholmen is still a long way off, the construction work is already leading to permanent changes for shipping traffic: pleasure craft are particularly affected, as the old connection between Øresund and Langelinie with the pleasure craft harbour there is now permanently closed.
A special traffic regulation now applies to the remaining Kronløbet: while incoming and outgoing commercial shipping continues to use the main channel, a separate second fairway has been set up for recreational shipping on its southern edge. The starboard side is marked with green buoys, while the port side is marked with the yellow buoys of the construction site boundary.
Light signalling systems have also been installed on both the seaward and inland sides: Three red flashing lights on top of each other mean that the passage is prohibited for leisure craft. A sign at the former inland approach to Lynetteløbet informs visitors of the permanent closure. The seaward approach to Margretheholms Havn remains open.
Lynæs (Region Hovedstaden, Island of Zealand)
Status: 16/05/2024 | Since 2008, the "Harbour of the Year" has been chosen as part of a competition in Denmark. In 2023, the title and the associated prize money of 10,000 euros went to the port of Lynæs. Lynæs Havn still somewhat dubious conditions. But since then, we have worked hard to develop the harbour, and today we can be proud to offer state-of-the-art toilets and bathing facilities, a 20-tonne crane, three restaurants, a sauna, a bathing area and much more. All this has meant that within five years we have gone from 800 guest berths in 2019 to up to 3,000 in 2023," says Lynæs Havn's chairman, Gert Møller.
Mullerup (Region Zealand, Island of Zealand)
Status: 16/05/2024 | In the harbour of Mullerup in West Zealand, you can now buy fresh food around the clock. Near 24/7 is a new supermarket chain that has just opened its first local market. This is a self-service shop that is open 24 hours a day and is designed to operate largely without sales staff or cashiers. More such unmanned grocery shops are soon to be opened throughout Denmark.
Sjællands Odde (Region Zealand, Island of Zealand)
Status: 16/05/2024 | Expansion work is progressing in the three harbours of Nykøbing Sjælland, Rørvig and Odden Havn in the north of Zealand. Within the next five years, 40 new berths are to be built in Nykøbing. The associated harbours of Odden Havn and Rørvig are also being extensively renovated. Damaged and old jetties will be replaced and the berths will be increased by a total of 60. Odden Havn in particular still resembles a major construction site. The two floating jetties just to port of the harbour entrance are being rebuilt. Completion with water and electricity is expected in two to four weeks.
Rødvig (Region Zealand, Island of Zealand)
Status: 16/05/2024 | The harbour in the north of Faxe Bugt was badly affected by the storm surge. Even larger fishing vessels sank or were thrown ashore. Nevertheless, the local authorities wanted to be finished with the clean-up work by the start of the season, or by the beginning of May at the latest.
Klintholm (Region Zealand, Island of Møn)
Status: 16/05/2024 | Even before the storm surge, the municipality of Vordingborg had decided that 27 million Danish kroner (around 3.6 million euros) had to be raised to carry out urgently needed repairs to the eight marinas in the municipality. Following the damage in October, which primarily affected the harbours at Klintholm on Møn and Præstø on Zealand, both locations are now part of the investment plan, which has been expanded to include renovation work totalling 39 million Danish kroner (around 5.2 million euros). The municipality of Vordingborg is doing everything it can to replace as many storm-damaged jetties as possible. The harbour team in Klintholm estimates the cost of this alone at 3.2 million Danish kroner (around 430,000 euros).
Hesnæs (Region Zealand, Falster Island)
Status: 16/05/2024 | In Hesnæs on the eastern tip of Falster, the devastation caused by the storm surge was too severe. The harbour must therefore remain closed this summer despite all efforts to date.
Fehmarnbelt (Region Zealand, Island of Lolland)
Status: 16/05/2024 | The Fehmarnbelt tunnel should be completed by 2029. On the German side, the focus in 2024 will be on work in the portal area and on two of three future bridges. The working harbour in Puttgarden has been in operation since July 2023, where significantly more cargo ships are expected in 2024 than in the previous year. A new dyke will be built on Fehmarn by the summer, which will form the future coastline in the northern portal area. When it is finished, the northern excavation pit between the two dykes will be flooded and the current dyke removed.
On the Danish side, new piers and retention dams have been installed. Around 300 hectares of new land is being created on the coast of Lolland. A new beach has already been created for the public to the west of the Rødbyhavn ferry harbour.
The excavation work for the 18-kilometre-long tunnel trench in the Belt will be completed this summer and the lowering phase will begin. The work areas will be marked with restricted area buoys. An increased volume of traffic from work vessels is also to be expected outside the work areas. During the lowering phase of the tunnel elements between 2024 and 2026, an average of one to two tunnel elements per week will be transported by tugboat between the working harbour on Lolland and the working area. Femern A/S has prepared a leaflet for the shipping industry with information about the special conditions in the vicinity of the work areas.
The Vessel Traffic Service (VTS Fehmarnbelt) is responsible for maritime traffic safety. All vessels entering the VTS area are advised to report via "Fehmarnbelt Traffic" on VHF channel 68.
Mommark (Region Syddanmark, Island of Als)
Status: 16/05/2024 | In the marina in Mommark, the outer pier and floating jetties in particular were badly damaged in the storm. Over the winter months, the catering facilities and campsite were brought back into shape. The jetties were also repaired by the start of the season, so that the harbour opened with around half of the berths. Since the end of April, guests have also been able to enjoy the new sauna buildings.
Augustenborg (Region Syddanmark, Island of Als)
Status: 16/05/2024 | In the Marina in Augustenborg was busy repairing storm damage over the winter. Everything should be up and running again for the start of the season. Four new charging stations have been set up for guests with electric cars.
Sønderborg (Region Syddanmark, Island of Als)
Status: 16/05/2024 | In Sønderborg, the new Harbour bath opened. In winter, the three pools are used by paying guests for ice bathing and cooling off after the sauna. In the summer season from 31 May to 31 August, the facility is open to everyone free of charge. There is a plunge pool right next to the sauna, a swimming pool and a children's pool that is closed at the bottom.
Apart from electrical damage, the harbour got off lightly during the storm. New electricity boxes have already been installed. The new sanitary facilities, which were not put into operation until 2023, were 30 to 40 centimetres under water during the storm surge and had to be renovated, but everything should be ready for the start of the season.
Attention at night: The pier light of Sønderborg is still out of order!
Marina Minde (Region Syddanmark)
Status: 16/05/2024 | In the Marina Minde and Marina Toft there was only minor damage to the jetties after the storm, which has already been repaired. Both harbours opened on schedule on 1 April. However, due to the high water during the storm surge, the harbour office in Marina Minde will temporarily move to a houseboat. This means that the small mini-market is currently unavailable for supplies.
In addition, the two marinas were sold this year to Consolidated Holdings, which also owns X-Yachts. Thanks to this constellation, three X-Yachts will be available for charter in Marina Minde from this season.
Dageløkke (Syddanmark region, Langeland island)
Status: 16/05/2024 | In addition to the "Port of the Year" award, ports were also nominated for the "Shoulder Beater of the Year", an award that recognises smaller and unique ports for special efforts. In 2023, this award went to the Dageløkke harbour. The small resort on the calm waters of Langeland's west coast has been thoroughly renovated over the last 18 months and has undergone an impressive transformation. The modern ambience, the tapas bar and the new beach festival "Liv og Glade Dageløkke" should also attract a younger and more party-loving crowd.
Kerteminde (Region Syddanmark, Island of Funen)
Status: 16/05/2024 | The Marina in Kerteminde was extensively expanded and restructured in 2023. There is now a new harbour entrance, a new crane station and a new service station for refuelling at a floating jetty. For families with children, there will also be a new children's area, the Kids Harbour, in 2024. The little ones can explore the underwater world of the marina on floating pontoons via an opening to the seabed. In collaboration with marine biologists from the University of Southern Denmark, an artificial reef is being created here to promote biodiversity and the number of fish in the harbour.
Kolding (Region Syddanmark)
Status: 16/05/2024 | According to current plans, a new city district including a marina will be built on the south side of the Kolding Fjord. With 1,000 berths, the new City Marina is set to become the largest Danish marina outside of Copenhagen. The project had stalled due to environmental concerns regarding the excavation work. However, innovative, sustainable and environmentally friendly technology will now ensure that the project continues, according to Mayor Knud Erik Langhoff. The plans for the City Marina are expected to be approved in 2024. Construction work should be able to begin in 2025.
Skærbæk (Region Syddanmark)
Status: 16/05/2024 | In the harbour of Skærbæk The existing floating jetties on the Little Belt were destroyed by the storm. A new breakwater, 166 metres long and four metres wide, now ensures greater safety and tranquillity in the harbour basin. In summer, it can also be used as a berth for larger ships and as a promenade for pedestrians. Since last year, there has also been a new waste disposal station in Skærbæk, where guests can empty their waste tanks free of charge.
Fredericia (Region Syddanmark)
Status: 16/05/2024 | The Marina Fredericia is one of the few harbours on the Danish Baltic coast to have survived the October storm unscathed. The relatively new harbour in the Little Belt has switched to a digital payment system. Guests can now pay their mooring fees using the "HarbaApp".
Hou (Midtjylland region)
Status: 16/05/2024 | Several jetties and quays were also renovated in Hou last year. The restructuring has resulted in less swell in the harbour basin and 20 additional berths have been created. The new promenade quay is also home to the "longest harbour bench in East Jutland", measuring 135 metres. And further projects are in the pipeline: In the foreseeable future, the harbour will have an additional toilet building on a floating platform on the south pier, a sauna, a new guest jetty and a floating café.
General (regions affected by the storm surge)
Status: 16/05/2024 | In some harbours that were particularly affected by the storm surge, it must be assumed that the electrical infrastructure has not yet been fully restored. This can be particularly significant when it comes to lighted navigation marks and navigational aids such as pier lights - such as in Sønderborg on Als and Ærøskøbing on Ærø.
To be on the safe side, in case of doubt the official Danish notices to mariners (notices to mariners) should be consulted.
There may also still be problems with the continuous availability of electricity at the jetties in some places. The same applies to water extraction.
Practical precinct app
The popular Danish harbour guide Havneguide.dk has also been available as an app since summer 2023. It provides all the information you need for your visit to the harbour: What facilities are there at the destination, where can you refuel, wash and shop? Is there a playground or an e-charging station? You will also find inspiration for shore excursions and the most important information on places of interest as well as restaurant and event tips. You can use the search function to find the right harbour using various categories and navigate to it with the help of the harbour maps. For example, if you enter the draught of your own boat, you will receive an overview list of all harbours whose basins are deep enough.
