The Port of Thyboron has taken the big step of investing in a new deep-water channel with a water depth of 11 metres for the benefit of offshore installation vessels. The new deep-water channel is already in full operation and runs from the North Sea, into the Thyboron Canal, and all the way to the project quay Limfjordskaj II i in the southern part of the port.

Dredging increases port capacity on the Danish North Sea coast

2023 represents a big transition for the Commercial Port of Thyboron, which is making new strides with one of the deepest port approaches on the Danish North Sea coast.

The new deep-water channel with a water depth of 11 metres and new large quayside port areas established using the material from the dredging have increased Danish port capacity for the upcoming offshore wind projects in the North Sea. The Port of Thyboron now has 300,000 m2 of quayside areas that can play a role in the offshore segment in the future.

This gives the industry new opportunities and expands the port capacity for the future installation of large energy projects in the North Sea, including the Thor offshore wind farm, the EnergiØ and VindØ energy islands and various Norwegian and Danish offshore wind projects.

New deep-water channel was inaugurated with wind turbine foundation installation project

The 11 metres of water depth in the deep-water channel immediately paved the way for new offshore wind farm installation projects in the North Sea. The foundations for the Vesterhav Nord and Vesterhav Syd offshore wind farms were installed from the Port of Thyboron very soon after the commissioning of the new deep-water channel that runs all the way to the Limfjordskaj II project quay.

The Port of Thyboron is being developed in close cooperation with the users of the port, and the new deep-water channel has also been conceived in close collaboration with offshore contractors specialising in offshore wind farm installation.

It was a race against time to get the new 11-metre-deep channel ready in time for the installation of Vattenfall’s Vesterhav Nord and Vesterhav Syd offshore wind farms. First, approvals for the extra dredging had to be obtained, and then the dredging work itself had to be carried out to allow the giant installation vessel to enter the port safely. Moreover, documentation had to be prepared so the vessel could start using the channel even before it was marked on the charts.

Everything went according to plan and was ready a few weeks before the spectacular vessel Innovation sailed into port. Sometimes things can move very quickly in a dynamic and flexible commercial port; the deep-water channel is yet another good example of that.

See more about the first large-scale installation project to be shipped from the project quay facilities at the Port of Thyboron.