Hals Barre Lighthouse

Renovation of Hals Barre Lighthouse now finalised

In recent 2 years, Hals Barre Lighthouse has been subject to extensive renovation – both externally and internally. The renovation work has been very difficult so it is a great pleasure to announce that the lighthouse is now all fixed up.

19 October 2015

The historic Hals Barre Lighthouse from 1912, situated five nautical miles east of Hals, has been in need of extensive renovation for quite some time now in order to prevent it from perishing completely. Hals Barre is the name of the long sand bank off Langerak's mouth to the Kattegat (Langerak is the eastern part of the Limfjorden). For many years, the lighthouse has been warning and directing passing ships, and now it can continue to do so for many years to come.

Severe weather conditions have prolonged the work
The company Jorton, which has been responsible for the renovation, has had difficulties completing the work on the lighthouse. Extremely varied wind and weather conditions, at times combined with strong currents, have made it difficult for the renovation team to get to and from the lighthouse. Some days, a sudden change of weather has made it necessary to get the workmen ashore after only a few hours' work. Other days, the departure for the lighthouse was cancelled completely due to a bad weather forecast. This made it difficult for the company to plan its work.

A complete renovation
Hals Barre Lighthouse has for quite some time been on the list of places to be maintained. But when large facade stones and one of the staircases to the lighthouse loosened and fell into the sea, it was evident that the renovation of the lighthouse had to be initiated, says Jesper Kern Hansen from the Danish Maritime Authority, who has been the project owner.

”Last year, we started by having the box caisson renovated, which had corroded much after many years' wear and tear caused by seawater, salt, ice and thaw. The areas on the facade where stones had fallen out were rebuilt by means of die casting and the remaining stones were secured by injecting concrete and boring in anchors", he explains.

This year, the deck has been made impervious, corroded ventilation ducts have been removed, new shields have been mounted and the tower has been painted. Much work has also been done on the inside of the tower. The Service and Maintenance Centre of the Danish Maritime Authority in Grenaa has, inter alia, installed a ventilation system to improve the indoor climate.

New solutions require less maintenance and inspection
When Hals Barre Lighthouse was established, it replaced a lightship. The lighthouse was furnished with cabins, a galley and an accommodation for the lighthouse personnel as well as an engine space where a generator produced heat and electricity. Today, the lighthouse personnel is limited to one lighthouse keeper, living in Hals, who receives a remuneration. And, consequently, there is no longer need for the machinery and accommodation. This fact and the inaccessible location of the lighthouse has meant that, in connection with the renovation, solutions have been chosen that require a minimum of maintenance and inspection.

Danish Maritime Authority press release