Editing Transport in Denmark (section)

==Sea==
Being an island state with a long coastline and always close to the sea, maritime transport has always been important in Denmark. From the primitive [[Dugout (boat)|dugouts]] of the [[Nordic Stone Age|Stone Age]] to the complex designs of the [[Viking ship]]s in the [[Viking Age]], often built to exactly facilitate large scale cargo and passenger transportation. Denmark also engaged in the large scale cargo freights and [[Atlantic slave trade|slave transports]] of the [[History of colonialism|European colonization]] endeavours in the Middle Ages and operated several smaller [[Danish colonial empire|colonies of its own]] across the globe by the means of seafaring.

Today Denmark's ports handle some 48 million passengers and 109 million tonnes of cargo per year.<ref>[http://www.statistikbanken.dk/statbank5a/SelectVarVal/Define.asp?MainTable=SKIB101&PLanguage=1&PXSId=0 Call of vessels, passengers and throughput of goods in traffic ports by seaport and unit.] Statistics Denmark. Retrieved 26 March 2009.</ref>

===Passenger traffic===
[[File:Rødbyhavn - færgehavnen.JPG|thumb|right|Rødbyhavn ferry terminal on [[Lolland]]]] 
Passenger traffic is made up partly of ferry crossings within Denmark, partly of international ferry crossings and partly of cruise ship passengers. [[HH Ferry route|Some short ferry routes]] are being [[Electric boat|electrified]]<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.cruiseandferry.net/articles/214resund-dry-docks-to-modernise-hh-ferries-vessels |title=Öresund Dry Docks to modernise HH Ferries' vessels|work=CruiseandFerry.net|access-date=1 February 2017}}</ref> and several more may be eligible,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://w3.siemens.dk/home/dk/dk/core_topics/intelligent-infrastructure/Documents/MOB_eferrystudy_1016UK_FINAL.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911205743/http://w3.siemens.dk/home/dk/dk/core_topics/intelligent-infrastructure/Documents/MOB_eferrystudy_1016UK_FINAL.pdf |archive-date=2017-09-11 |url-status=live|title=Electrification of Denmark's ferry fleet|website=W3.siemens.dk|access-date=15 December 2017}}</ref> [[Transport in Norway#Ferries|as in Norway]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.tu.no/artikler/batterifergen-har-mattet-sta-over-avganger-na-er-losningen-klar/364633 |title=Batterifergen har måttet stå over avganger. Nå er løsningen klar|work=[[Teknisk Ukeblad]] |date=18 November 2016 |access-date=19 November 2016}}</ref>
{{location map many|Denmark|width=300
| label1 = [[Helsingør]] | coordinates1 = {{coord|56.036111|12.608333}}
| label2 = [[Rødbyhavn]] | coordinates2 = {{coord|54.65|11.35}} | position2 = left
| label3 = [[Frederikshavn]] | coordinates3 = {{coord|57.441|10.534}} | position3 = top
| label4 = {{lower|0.5em|{{nowrap|[[Sjællands Odde]]}}}} | coordinates4 = {{coord|55.95|11.466667}}|position4=left
| label5 = [[Esbjerg]] | coordinates5 = {{coord|55.483333|8.45}} | position5 = bottom
| label6 = [[Gedser]] | coordinates6 = {{coord|54.583333|11.933333}}
| label7 = [[Aarhus]] | coordinates7 = {{coord|56.1572|10.2107}}|position7=left
| label8 = [[Rønne]] | coordinates8 = {{coord|55.098611|14.701389}}
| label9 = [[Ebeltoft]] | coordinates9 = {{coord|56.193611|10.678056}}|position9 = top
| label10= [[Port of Copenhagen|Copenhagen]] | coordinates10 = {{coord|55.6718|12.5817}}
| caption = Map of Denmark showing the locations of the major ports
}}
Among the most important ports for passenger traffic (thousands of passengers per year in 2007) are:
* [[Helsingør]] 10,967
* [[Rødbyhavn]] 7,058
* [[Frederikshavn]] 2,894
* [[Sjællands Odde]] 2,233
* [[Esbjerg]] 1,827
* [[Gedser]] 1,612
* [[Aarhus]] 1,583
* [[Rønne]] 1,522
* [[Ebeltoft]] 962
* [[Port of Copenhagen|Copenhagen]] 872

In 2007, 288 cruise ships visited Copenhagen, rising to 376 in 2011 before returning to around 300 the following years. Around 800,000 cruise passengers and 200,000 crew visit Copenhagen each year.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.cruisemapper.com/ports/copenhagen-port-58 |title=Copenhagen (Denmark)|publisher= CruiseMapper |access-date=1 February 2017}}</ref>

===Cargo traffic===
Among the most important ports for cargo traffic (millions of tonnes per year in 2007) are:
* [[Fredericia]] 15,327
* [[Aarhus]] 12,189
* [[Port of Copenhagen|Copenhagen]] 7,379
* [[Helsingør]] 4,480
* [[Esbjerg]] 4,476
* [[Kalundborg]] 3,714
* [[Frederikshavn]] 3,200
* [[Aalborg|Aalborg Portland]] 2,999
* [[Aalborg]] 2,749
* [[Odense]] 2,616

===Waterways===
Waterways have historically and traditionally been crucial to local transportation in Denmark proper. Especially the [[Gudenå]] river-system in central Jutland, has played an important role. The waterways were navigated by wooden [[barge]]s and later on [[steamboat]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kulturarv.dk/1001fortaellinger/en_GB/the-towpath-along-the-gudenaaen-river|title=The towpath along the Gudenåen River|publisher=The Heritage Agency of Denmark (Danish agency for Culture)|website=1001 stories of Denmark|access-date=4 October 2014}}</ref> A few historical steamboats are still in operation, like the [[SS Hjejlen]] from 1861 at [[Silkeborg]].

There is a 160&nbsp;km natural canal through the shallow [[Limfjorden]] in northern Jutland, linking the [[North Sea]] to the [[Kattegat]].

Many waterways has formerly been redirected and led through manmade canals in the 1900s, but mainly for agricultural purposes and not to facilitate transportation on any major scale. Several cities have manmade canals used for transportation and traffic purposes. Of special mention are the [[:Category:Canals in Copenhagen|canals of Copenhagen]] and the [[Odense Canal]], ferrying large numbers of both tourists and local citizens.<ref>[http://www.worldcanals.com/english/denmark.html World Canals - Denmark.]. Retrieved 26 March 2009.</ref>

=== Merchant marine ===
{{ external media
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| image1 =[http://ing.dk/sites/ing/files/nordsoeen.png Traffic and protected areas around Denmark] <!--from http://ing.dk/artikel/vindmoeller-oeger-behovet-havplanlaegning-175293 -->
}}
Denmark has a large merchant fleet relative to its size. In 2018, the fleet surpassed 20 million [[Gross tonnage|gt]] as the government sought to repatriate Danish-owned tonnage registered abroad, with measures including removal of the registration fee.<ref>{{cite web |title=Historic growth in Danish shipping registries continues |url=https://eng.em.dk/news/2018/juni/historic-growth-in-danish-shipping-registries-continues |website=Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs |access-date=10 March 2019}}</ref>

Denmark has created its own international register, called the [[Danish Maritime Authority|Danish International Ship register (DIS)]], open to commercial vessels only. DIS ships do not have to meet Danish manning regulations.