Til Vands

Skibstrafikken i sejlrenden skyldes Esbjerg Havn. Efter tabet af hertugdømmerne til Preussen i 1864 vedtog den danske Rigsdag at placere en helt ny havn på Vestkysten til at håndtere Danmarks eksport af levende kreaturer til først og fremmest England. En jernbane forbandt havnen med det øvrige Danmark. Havnen åbnede for trafik i 1874 og blev det lokomotiv, der satte udviklingen i hele området i gang. Ved åbningen havde havnen 250 meter kaj – i 2019 er der 14,5 km kaj, og levende kreaturer er snart sagt det eneste, der ikke længere eksporteres via havnen. Ellers har havnen gennem 150 år været præget af fiskeri, færge- og godstrafik, eksport af bacon og smør, olieudvinding i Nordsøen og senest havvindmøller.

Esbjerg Havn i 1874 – det år havnen officielt åbnede. Dengang var der 250 meter kaj – i dag er der over 14 km.
The Port of Esbjerg 1874 – the year the harbour opened for traffic. The harbour had then 250 meter wharf – today it has almost 14,5 km.

Kreaturer på Englandskaj ved at blive udskibet til England på hjuldamperen Riberhuus, 1888.
Live cattle on Englandskaj bound for England waiting on the quay to be loaded on the wheel steamer Riberhuus, 1888.

Fra juni 1875 og frem til september 2014 var Englandsbådene hyppige gæster i sejlrenden. De sejlede i fast rutefart mellem Esbjerg og engelske havne, f.eks. Harwich. De sejlede med passagerer og gods, bl.a. tonsvis af bacon og smør til det britiske marked. I 1967 blev godstrafikken omlagt til containere og trailere, og særlige skibe blev indsat til den form for transport. De sejler stadig – omkring kl. 15.00 hver dag anløbes Esbjerg Havn af et roro-skib [roll on, roll off] med trailere fra Immingham. Nogle timer senere er det samme skib fuldt lastet på den modsatte vej.

Fiskeriet fra Esbjerg var på sit højdepunkt omkring 1970, hvor næsten 700 fiskekuttere fiskere fra Esbjerg, 1959.
Fishing from Esbjerg peaked around 1970 – then almost 700 fishing boats were fishing from Esbjerg, 1959.

Da trawlerne dukkede op omkring 1960, begyndte antallet af fiskekuttere at gå tilbage. Fangsterne voksede til gengæld og produktionen ændrede sig til fiskeolie og fiskemel.
When the trawlers appeared around 1960, the number of fishing boats began to decline. The catches in turn grew and production changed to fish oil and fish meal.

Ellers præger borerigge, forsyningsskibe, jack up-fartøjer til havvindmøller og sikkerhedsskibe trafikken i indsejlingen i dag.

Frisk madding var efterspurgt så ormegravning ved lavvande gav i mange år børn og voksne en god indkomst. Her med Englandsbåden i baggrunden, ca. 1995.
Fresh bait was in high demand, so worm excavation at low tide provided a good income for children and adults for many years. Here with the ferry to England in the background, approx. 1995.

Englandsbåden m/s Dana Sirena i indsejlingen ved lavvande ud for Sædding, 2004.
The ferry to England m/S Dana Sirena in the fairway at low tide off Sædding, 2004.

I 2014 lå semisub-riggen John Shaw fra firmaet Trans Ocean to måneder i Esbjerg havn for service og opgradering. John Shaw er 85 meter lang, 64 meter bred og 110 meter høj.
In 2014, the semi-sub rig John Shaw of the Trans Ocean Company spent two months in the Port of Esbjerg for service and upgrading. John Shaw is 85 meters long, 64 meters wide and 110 meters tall.

Nærmest ligger havneudvidelsen Esbjerg Strand, som skal adskille de erhvervsmæssige og rekreative aktiviteter i havnen. Projektet blev påbegyndt i september 2017, og dets første etape skal være afsluttet ved udgangen af 2019.

Esbjerg Strand under anlæggelse, 2019. Formålet er bl.a. at adskille de kommercielle og de rekreative aktiviteter i Esbjerg Havn.
Esbjerg Strand under construction, 2019. The idea is to separate the commercial and recreational activities in the Port of Esbjerg.

Den seneste, store udvidelse af den kommercielle del af Esbjerg Havn: Øst- og Sydhavnen, 2018.
The most recent, major expansion of the commercial part of the Port of Esbjerg, 2018.

Den tidligere fiskerihavn, 2019. I dag fisker seks fartøjer fra Esbjerg, og de fanger hesterejer.
The former fishing port, 2019. Today, only six vessels are fishing from Esbjerg and they are catching common shrimps.

Indsejlingen til Esbjerg Havn sætter begrænsningen for størrelse på skibe, der kan anløbe Esbjerg Havn, ikke mindst hvor sejlrende drejer skarpt ind mod Esbjerg Havn. Skibe meget længere end 254 meter kan ikke passere.
The fairway to the Port of Esbjerg is limiting the size of ships that can call on the Port of Esbjerg, not least when they have to turn sharply towards the Port of Esbjerg. Ships much longer than 254 meters cannot pass.

Overfor ses Fanø – søfartsøen frem for nogen før Esbjerg Havn åbnede i 1874.

Havnefaciliteterne ved Nordby på Fanø, ca. 1870.
The port facilities at Nordby on the island of Fanø, approx. 1870.

Loven om Esbjerg Havn blev vedtaget i sejlskibenes tid, men havnen åbnede, da dampskibene havde meldt sig på banen. I dag ses de store sejlskibe fortrinsvis ved arrangementer som Tall Ship Races, her i 2001.
The law on the Port of Esbjerg was passed at the time of the tall ships, but the port opened when the steam ships were taking over. Today, the large sailing ships are mainly here at special events such as Tall Ship Races, here in 2001.
 

At Sea

The ships in the fairway are heading for or leaving the port of Esbjerg. In 1864 Denmark waged war against Prussia and lost the Southern part of the country and all Danish ports on the Westcoast. Consequently, the Danish Parliament passed a law about a harbour in Esbjerg primarily to handle the Danish export of live cattle to Great Britain. The harbour opened in 1874 and became the main driver of the development of the whole area. At the beginning the harbour had 250 m wharf – today it has almost 14,5 km wharf and live cattle is about the only commodity it does not handle anymore. Otherwise the harbour has been dominated by fishing, liners, cargo ships, export of Danish Lur brand butter and bacon, oil and gas activities in the North Sea and most recently offshore wind.

The ferries to different British ports were dominating among the larger ships and almost daily visitors. A ferry line with both passengers and goods opened in 1875. As the demand for Danish bacon and butter increased in Great Britain special cargo ships took over transportation of most of the freight, and from January 1967 most of that export was done by container and trailers and ferried by special ships. The passenger ferry discontinued its operation at the end of September 2014, but the cargo line to Immingham is still in operation. Every day around 3 pm one of the ro-ro ships call at the Port of Esbjerg and departs a couple of hours later.

Otherwise drilling rigs, supply vessels, jack up vessels for the windmill industry and rescue ships are the dominant vessels in the fairway today.

To your right you have a view of the most recent part of the Port of Esbjerg called Esbjerg Beach. It is going to take over the recreational activities from the Port of Esbjerg. Fase one is scheduled to be finished by 2019.

Off the coast is the island of Fanø. It was the was the maritime center of the area before the port of Esbjerg opened.