Recently built breakwater fails safety test and requires 156 million kroner in repairs

A nearly new breakwater at Hanstholm Harbour, completed just six years ago, has failed to meet safety standards and now requires 156 million kroner (€21 million) in repairs, reports Danish broadcaster DR.

The Østmole (East Breakwater) was finished in 2020 as part of a 600 million kroner harbour expansion, designed to withstand a once-in-a-century storm. However, a 2022 storm revealed structural weaknesses, forcing Thisted Municipality to undertake urgent reinforcement work.

“We have to make it stronger so it can hold—stronger than originally planned,” admitted Ulrik Andersen, municipal director of Thisted Kommune. The municipality will initially cover the full cost, though an arbitration case will later determine whether consultants and contractors must share the financial burden.

Repairs began on 1 March, with crews working 12-hour shifts for seven months to complete the project by 1 November. Despite the scale of the work—described as Denmark’s largest of its kind—Andersen stated that local taxpayers would not feel the impact.

“We already have debt exceeding 1.1 billion kroner. This adds a bit more, but it won’t affect daily life or lead to cuts in municipal services,” he said.