Port Director Atle Johannessen wishes you a Merry Christmas!

A brief summary of the year so far shows that we are somewhat behind previous years in terms of results, despite relatively high activity in some segments in the Port of Kristiansand. This is partly due to the Gartnerløkka development, bankruptcy in Holland Norway Line and higher interest rates. At the same time, we can register a record year for ferry activity, with up to 7 calls per day during the high season, despite this, traffic has moved well without serious incidents.  

Figures up to the end of November show that we have had 131 cruise calls with 332 thousand passengers. We have seen an increase in the number of cruise ships connecting to shore power, and we implemented a decision that all cruise calls will be connected to shore power from 2026. We are delighted about this. It is also gratifying that Kristiansand is an attractive cruise destination and that we see a pattern of Kristiansand becoming a year-round destination. The first cruise call in 2023 came in early January, the last call this year is December 24 and the first call in the new year is January 3. We wish the passengers a warm welcome.  

We, like all other ports in Norway, are experiencing a decline in cargo and imported goods in containers, but are delighted to see that exports of goods are stable. 

Havnekonferansen 2023 was sold out. We are proud that Kristiansand and Havnekonferansen have established themselves as the "place to be" at the end of August. Next year, we have had to change the date slightly to ensure that it does not clash with Arendalsuka in week 33 and ONS in Stavanger in week 35. We warmly welcome you to Havnekonferansen 2024 on August 22, 2024.  

There has also been good activity in Kanalbyen. The third stage of construction, 86 apartments, has been handed over to buyers and the canal has been handed over to the municipality. In the Three Sisters phase, 94 of 106 apartments have been sold and construction work is well under way.

2024 will be a busy year in which one of our most important initiatives will be to accelerate the development of Kongsgård/ Vige for the relocation of the container terminal in close consultation with the municipality, users and operators. Furthermore, the development of the Caledonien/Lagmannsholmen site will also be very important in the coming year.   

We will continue our work on the Green Jutland Corridor in 2024, where hydrogen, shore power and digital ports are on the agenda.  

An exciting year is coming to an end and I look forward to starting a new year with a good plan for the future port of Kristiansand and Lindesnes.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, 

Atle Johannessen
Port Director