Sortland Harbor is a modern harbor for transportation, industry, and fishing, and we connect land and sea with excellent services.
Our harbor is ISPS-certified, and approved port customs by the EU. The harbor area is home to Sortland Harbor KF, our passenger terminal, the Coast Guard, Laboratory for Nutritional Testing, Directorate of Fisheries’ Control Branch, and cold- or dry storage warehouses used by transporters and both domestic and international businesses. A marina for vessels of various sizes can be found near the harbor, but these lie outside the ISPS secure zone.
These are the specifications of our main dock:
- Length: 438 meters
- Bollard pull: 50 tons
- Bearing: 348/168 degrees
- Axle load: 100 tons
- Load bearing: 70 tons per m2
- 10,500 m2 land area
- Depth: 10 meters north, 7,5 meters south, measured at low tide.
- Links to documentation:
- Blueprints for Sortland Harbor
- Overview for docks and moorings, with information.
Fishing dock
Sortland Harbor is strategically located a few hours away from the fishing zones in the Norwegian- and Barents Sea. The docks are sheltered against the weather, ice-free, equipped with modern warehouses, cold storage, and freezers with a combined capacity of about 5000 tons.
Cargo- and container dock
Being the regional harbor for Vesterålen in northern Norway, Sortland Harbor is strategically placed for use in the fishing- and aquaculture industries. Our modern docks are well suited for container-, fishing-, project-, and general cargo. Our primary dock is 438 meters long and can service most vessels in use along our coastline. The harbor’s facilities include modern warehouses, cold storage, freezers, and stations for both land- and sea-based transportation. Sortland Harbor is approved by the EU as port customs.
Cruise Port
In the heart of the Vesterålen islands, Sortland Harbor is an important nexus for transportation and communication. Sortland is also close to Skagen airfield (25 minutes away) and Evenes airport (90 minutes). The coastal steamer “Hurtigruten” passes through the harbor twice daily, once northbound, and once southbound. Passengers may stay in the passenger terminal before departure and after arrival of coastal steamers, cruise ships, and other vessels. If you need a taxi or a wheelchair-friendly vehicle, Sortland Taxi can be of service. Sortland Harbor connects land and sea with excellent services.
Customs: The Coast Guard
Sortland is home to a Coast Guard base and its main administration, mess hall, and docks, all directly next to Sortland Harbor’s facilities. Vessels and helicopters operate from here. The primary responsibilities of the Coast Guard are environmental protection, supervising fishing vessels, search & rescue, and customs. The Coast Guard is the Norwegian state’s naval law enforcement, and frequently works with police, Norwegian Customs, the Norwegian Coastal Administration, and the Norwegian Maritime Authority.
Directorate of Fisheries’ Customs Station
The Directorate of Fisheries are tasked with managing aquacultural resources and managing coastal areas. A border control branch has been opened in Sortland.
New harbor section
Sortland Harbor has for many years now been working on a developing a new, more modern section of harbor area and facilities, to better accommodate containers, ro-ro, project cargo, and more besides. This section is going to be part of a greater commercial area which will benefit from co-location and being clustered with modern port and warehouse facilities.
In 2021, the Harbor Board decided to begin regulation of Kringelen, an area in the Hinnøya island. This area is about 700,000 m2 and is less than a 10-minute drive from Sortland. The area is particularly well-suited for harbor development because of access to Gavelfjord, good meteorological conditions, and great conditions for harbor infrastructure. A dock with a depth is 20 meters, container crane, modern ro-ro ramp, large logistical areas, warehouses, storage, freezers, and more. Click here for more information about the project and its progress.
Official authority and case administration
Sortland Harbor is a municipal enterprise (KF) and is 100% owned by Sortland Municipality. The Harbor Board is the executive branch, made up of an administration led by Sortland’s Harbor Master.
Sortland Harbor is authorized to enact the laws of the Harbor Act. Usually this involves requests to build structures such as breakwaters and jetties, but also some projects on land.