Kalaallisut
Dansk
EnglishHarbour development
The municipal harbour facilities are having difficulty handling the growing number of passengers and quantities of goods seen in recent years. If the positive commercial and industrial development is to continue, it’s of crucial importance to improve the harbour facilities in Sisimiut and Kangerlussuaq in the near future.
Sisimiut Harbour has seen a doubling in the number of trawlers calling in between 2004 and 2006, and has at the same time developed into Greenland’s busiest cruise ship destination with more than 50 visits in 2007.
A rapidly growing harbour
Due to the impending oil exploration in the Davis Strait and the continually rising quantities of goods freighted by Royal Arctic Lines’ supply vessels, the development is greater and the potential higher than can be borne by Sisimiut Harbour now and in the future.
Greenland’s Home Rule and Sisimiut Municipality have thus jointly proposed the expansion of the existing fishing quay to the west, in order that two large deep-draught vessels can dock at the harbour at the same time.
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Click here to see a map of the planned harbourdevelopment
Funding and schedule
With a business plan for Umimmak Traffic A/S, Sisimiut Municipality has submitted a funding proposal and a schedule for the development of Sisimiut Harbour, among other things.
With a business plan for Umimmak Traffic A/S, Sisimiut Municipality has submitted a funding proposal and a schedule for the development of Sisimiut Harbour, among other things.
Harbour potential
As an element of the longer-term municipal planning, an area is planned for harbour-related activities west of the airport road on Akia.A future oil terminal may be installed here.
Furthermore, in connection with the aluminium smelting plant sited near Sisimiut and the extension of the airport road by 4 km, it will be possible to establish a common harbour for the plant and the oil industry.
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This harbour has also experienced growing numbers of passengers as a result of the sharp upward trend in the number of visiting cruise ships. Kangerlussuaq is therefore the Greenlandic harbour with the most cruise ship visits after Sisimiut and Ilulissat.
Since the exchange of cruise ship passengers occurs at Kangerlussuaq, it’s of crucial importance for the Greenlandic tourist industry that this can go on regardless of the weather conditions. However, due to the shallow depths, these exchanges are performed with tenders, which if a south-westerly wind is blowing can experience problems. Considerations are therefore being made of installing a jetty.
In the longer term, supply to Kangerlussuaq and the exchange of cruise ship passengers will occur via the future road between Sisimiut and Kangerlussuaq, after which, Kangerlussuaq Harbour can be put to use as a private marina.