The existing function of an important Offshore service port for the extraction of oil and gas in the North Sea will switch between now and 2030 to a sustainable offshore logistics port for the extraction of renewable energy in the North Sea.
The existing function of an important Offshore service port for the extraction of oil and gas in the North Sea will switch between now and 2030 to a sustainable offshore logistics port for the extraction of renewable energy in the North Sea.
For more than 40 years Port of Den Helder has been the most important offshore operations and maintenance hub for the offshore energy sector. Together with Den Helder Airport we provide high quality and fast services, convenient location and short sailing times to offshore installations. Thanks to facilities and services enabling fast and efficient turnaround times and direct and sheltered access to the North Sea, excellent transport and logistical support can be offered by the numerous offshore services providers in the region. Den Helder is centrally located at the heart of all offshore energy locations at the Southern North Sea.
The supply chain has developed itself into an efficient value chain with critical companies located in and around Den Helder. This complete supply chain, including knowledge institutes, together with its strategic location and infrastructure, has resulted in many cost efficient logistic operations in the offshore sector reducing operational expenditure.
The Maritime Cluster Den Helder is the area program where national ambitions take shape. Here, the municipality of Den Helder, the Ministry of Defence, and the province of Noord-Holland are working intensively together on the growth of the Royal Netherlands Navy and Port of Den Helder related to the Energy Transition – two crucial tasks for the Netherlands.
The future vision of the Maritime Cluster 2040 is a compact high-tech seaport (civil and military) connected to a powerful, well-equipped city and prosperous living environment. In addition, Den Helder – together with the Kop van Noord-Holland – forms one regionally coherent system in the field of education, labor market, housing, recreation and mobility.
Added to the development program in 2025 is the future-proof development of The Airport, with space for new hangars, sustainable fuels, drone development and manufacturing companies.
The main projects in the Seaport to create more opportunities for development
Since the 1970s, three of the four major offshore gas pipelines transporting produced gas from the North Sea have come ashore in Den Helder. The gas is processed at the largest gas treatment plant in Europe, located at Oostoever. We aim to maintain this unique position in the new energy mix, with Den Helder becoming one of the landing locations for hydrogen produced at sea. This strategic position is now recognised in the VAWOZ programme.
Energy demand in the port is becoming increasingly sustainable. Port of Den Helder recognises this development and is responding with the creation of an energy cluster. In anticipation of growing demand for sustainable fuels, we are engaging with the right partners to establish operations in the port and produce these fuels locally.
The first developments are already underway. One of these is the Zephyros project, which focuses on the local production of green hydrogen. Zephyros stimulates the development of a green hydrogen infrastructure in the Wadden Sea ports and promotes its use in the maritime sector. For more information about the Zephyros project, please see the link below. In addition, a biogas plant is set to be established.
Further development will focus on the production of (e-)methanol. Depending on developments in the shipping sector, the energy cluster will be expanded in line with our customers’ needs.
