With its central location, close to efficient transportation routes both on the E39 and E134 - and at sea, Haugaland Business Park is an ideal logistics hub. To the west of the park, the Port of Gismarvik has two pre-established deep-water quays, with a total quay length of 155 meters. The sailing depth is 16.5 meters for the southern quay and 10 meters for the northern quay. Established bollards with capacities ranging from 50 to 300 tons provide good mooring opportunities. The Port of Gismarvik has been established to serve the logistics needs of all companies that establish themselves in the business park.
The port is ISPS-approved and is operated by GMC Marine Partner AS. General Manager Bengt Olav Gåsøy says that in addition to bringing in their own projects, they also facilitate others, explaining
Facilitates all calls
- We are responsible for all calls and for facilitating calls and activities in the port. In addition to the operational aspects, we are also responsible for following up the Norwegian Coastal Administration's requirements for port activities. Boats must be registered, we must have an overview of the type and quantity of goods that pass through the port, and also ensure that everything is done in a safe and good way, and that the HSE rules are followed," explains Gåsøy.
The port facility alone covers 160 acres and has 80 acres of storage space. When one of GMC's port areas in Stavanger was phased out in 2012, they needed to store large quantities of equipment for a customer. This led them to the Port of Gismarvik.
- "We immediately saw great opportunities in the enormously large areas, and we built the large warehouse for our customer, a building we have great use for today, both for storage and simple repair work," says Gåsøy.
Ideal as a project port
The port base has been in operation since 2012, and in addition to the large workshop and warehouse, the base has its own office building with changing facilities, as well as a large overhead crane. Haugaland Næringspark currently owns the area and the buildings itself, while GMC operates the port. The large, leveled port areas are used for both short and long-term leases.
- The port is widely used for shipping timber, asphalt, sand and gravel. But we are also a very good project port, and the large land areas make the port very suitable for modification and assembly work, which became very clear during the work on the Makani wind farm. The port is well located in terms of depths and access, as well as being close to projects out on the shelf. "Components for wind turbines also work very well here, which is of course particularly interesting in relation to offshore wind. "When we're in contact with various offshore wind projects, they get a bit of a shock when they see the facility. You almost have to see it with your own eyes, because pictures never quite manage to show how big it actually is here," says Gåsøy.
With good networks and a great deal of expertise in the region, GMC uses skilled local suppliers in everything from welding to construction and scaffolding.
- In this way, we can act as a one-stop shop for the various players," he emphasizes.
Crucial for the Beyonder
Business developer at Haugaland Næringspark, Finn Sæther, says that the port is becoming increasingly attractive, and with more establishments in the park, the need for logistics and activity at Gismarvik Port is increasing. Earlier this year, it was announced that Beyonder had chosen Haugaland Business Park as the location for its large-scale battery production.
- "There are many good reasons why Beyonder chose Gismarvik as a location, but they probably wouldn't have done so if we hadn't had the good port facilities," says Sæther.
Constantly evolving
Recently, a new quay was opened in the north of the port facility, which provides even greater flexibility around calls. But even before this was ready, several of the world's largest vessels have been berthed.
- The longest was a full 330 meters, but with very good bollard conditions, we are ensured safe and good mooring, says Gåsøy.
Further development of the Port of Gismarvik is being planned.
- The establishments in the park will guide the further development of the port, but a fully developed facility under current conditions could involve up to 900 meters of quay line," says business developer Sæther.
