The Register of Business Enterprises
931717235 VAT
Contact information
Visiting address
Drammen Havn
Hans Kiærsgate 1 A
3041 Drammen
Post box
Post box 636
Strømsø
3003 Drammen
Drammen emerged from the river, and there is no doubt that the city’s location has made it a natural port area for several centuries. Learn more about the port’s history.
The settlement in Drammen startet earlier, but in this period of time a permanent settlement got established by the end of the river course. Farming and livestocks became an important industry, along with salt.
In addition to salt, the lumber industry developed and became an important merchandise. At year 1340 the first official trade with lumber accrued and ships started to anchor up in Drammen.
The lumber export eventually became of public interest and laid the foundation for the Port of Drammen.
In year 1388 the Port of Drammen made its first public revenues.
During these years, custom collections and the public authorities got an interest in the lumber trading. It was the Dutch who dominated the trading with lumber over the harbour i Drammen.
In 1558 a new customs house was build. This was later replaced with a sumptuous costume house on Smedsøya in the middle of the 17th century.
The fjords in Drammen became the main vein for export of timber and lumber. By the middle of the 18th century, the port exported twice as much as other ports, including the capital Christiania´s port.
In 1730 the port got analysed and evaluated. During this work, one organized port authority gained fertile ground.
In 1750 the customs house burned to the ground. The following year a new customs house of 1400 square meter was built. It contained an office building, a warehouse and housing for the customs officer and his family.
The first half of the 19th century, Drammen city was imprinted with city fires. The two last fires were in July 11. and 12. in 1866.
A lot of properties was burned to the ground and affected a blooming industry of steam power.
It was time to rethink and rebuild.
In 1867 Landfall bridge was built.
In 1868 the train station opened along with a train harbour.
In 1872 the railway bridge was completed.
In 1878 a new customs building was ready.
In 1889 the icebreaker and towing boat D/S Thor was launched. With this boat, the business on the port could go on all year.
At the end of the 1800s, paper factories were established along the river.
The industry in Drammen started to expand and included glass, iron and beer.
In 1899 a massive rebuild of the port started, because the boats needed more space to dock.
At the beginning of 1900´s, the paper export increased and a new warehouse was built.
After the World War 2, all the buildings at the port and the crane dock got an upgrade.
During the late years of the 1900´s, the paper export took a turn and decreased.
At this time Holmen bridge was built and made it easy to load merchandise from ships to trucks. At the same time the exports of other goods increased, so in 1974 the port needed to expand again. This time the development and establishment of the dock Riskaia was on Holmen.
The first car, a Datsun, was loaded at the docks in 1964. This was the first of many cars to arrive at the Port of Drammen. As soon as the car industry settled at the port, a fairytale started. Today the port is the biggest of its kind in Norway.
A lot changed during the end of the 1900´s. Among the changes was a new harbour law, and in 1985 the port was municipalised.
Just a short amount time after this, the activity and trading were heavily decreased and something needed to be done.
At this time, the port was entering a new era. Einar Olsen became the new director and the work of how to increase the activity started. Olsen wanted more trade, expansion and modern development.
By the year 2003, the port expanded with 90 acres at Holmen. In 2006 the goal is to be the best intermodal port in southeast of Norway.
The capacity of containers increased in 2014 and seven railways in addition was established at Holmen in 2016.
At this point the port is the largest in terms of car import in the country and aims to be the largest junction point for railway goods.
A new strategy for the years 2021-2040 was established in 2021.
Here are the main goals for the Port of Drammen:
1. The Port of Drammen aims to be a sustainability leader with emissions-free operations by 2030 while also emphasizing the importance of being a good neighbour.
2. The Port of Drammen aims to maintain its position as Norway’s leading gateway for car imports and the preferred logistic hub for regional goods owners. The port aims to manage more than 90% of car import volumes while safeguarding its market share for other goods.
3. The Port of Drammen seeks to be an efficient logistics hub connecting sea, rail, and road transportation. By 2030, 50% of the goods will be transported further by rail (on routes where the cargo trains operate).
4. The Port of Drammen aims to maintain long-term development of robust infrastructure, efficiently realizing approved regulatory and investment plans in accordance with timeline and budgets.
5. The port aims to be a proactive and commercially oriented port, with the goal of achieving a turnover of over 100 MNOK by 2030.
6. The port shall be an efficient and technology-driven port, based on strategic partnerships (striving for market-leading efficiency, quality, and transparency). By 2030 the port intends to be able to handle over 150K cars, over 60K TEUs, 300kt breakbulk cargo, and over 600kt bulk cargo.
The Register of Business Enterprises
931717235 VAT
Drammen Havn
Hans Kiærsgate 1 A
3041 Drammen
Post box 636
Strømsø
3003 Drammen
