Galtarhöfn — Iceland's Next Deep-Water Port & Green Industrial Harbour

The Project

A new gateway for
Southwest Iceland.

Galtarhöfn is a new deep-water port and industrial zone on the western shore of Hvalfjörður, directly adjacent to the established Grundartangi area. It is designed to absorb the overflow from Grundartangi — which is at capacity — and to serve as the Greater Reykjavík region's next major cargo and cruise terminal.

Deep-water by design

One of Iceland's deepest and most sheltered fjords, with up to 20 metres of draft at the quay wall. Natural depth, minimal dredging, world-class approach.

A kilometre of quay

1,000 metres of continuous berth able to serve bulk carriers, container ships, RoRo vessels, and the largest modern cruise ships — all shore-powered.

101.7 hectares

Of industrial and port land zoned for circular-economy operations, with lot sizes from 0.8 ha to 4 ha and build heights up to 18 m.

Green-park principles

Every tenant operates inside a closed loop: clean water, geothermal heat, renewable grid power, and waste-heat recovery from vessels.

Adjacent to Grundartangi

Directly west of Iceland's largest industrial cluster — with zero residential neighbours, full existing road network, and immediate grid access.

Port Zone

37.1 ha

Industrial Zone (AF15)

64.6 ha

Max Build Height

18 m

Lot Sizes

0.8 – 4 ha

Why Now

Grundartangi is full.
Sundahöfn is shrinking.

The Greater Reykjavík region is running out of deep-water port capacity exactly as demand accelerates. Galtarhöfn is the only site within 50 kilometres of the capital that can meet the coming decade of growth.

The Problem

Grundartangi port is fully booked several days per week — vessels must wait or divert.
Planned expansions — salmon farming, a magnesium plant, Eimskip operations — will only increase pressure.
Sundahöfn in Reykjavík faces downsizing as the capital densifies and Sundabraut redirects freight north.
No comparable deep-water alternative exists within 50 km of Reykjavík.

"Due to changed conditions, including densification in Reykjavík, there is significant demand for spacious operational areas near the capital region. Businesses have increasingly been moving operations outside the city." — Hvalfjarðarsveit municipal planning document

The Solution

A dedicated 1,000 m quay with up to 20 m draft — engineered for the largest bulk carriers and cruise ships.
101.7 hectares of industrial land zoned for warehousing, processing, logistics and on-site production.
Direct connection to Route 1 — with Sundabraut and Hvalfjarðargöng II reducing travel time to Reykjavík to under 30 minutes.
Green-park operating model — circular-economy infrastructure from day one.

Location

Where Hvalfjörður
meets the ring road.

Galtarhöfn sits on the north shore of Hvalfjörður near its western mouth — one of Iceland's most sheltered and deepest fjords — immediately west of the Grundartangi heavy-industry zone on the Klafastaðir lands in Hvalfjarðarsveit. The Hvalfjarðargöng tunnel puts Reykjavík just 40 km away; Akranes is 15 km to the west, Borgarnes 40 km north.

Galtarhöfn

Grundartangi

Akranes · 15 km

Saurbær

Reykjavík · 40 km

Hvalfjarðargöng · 5.8 km

→ Borgarnes / Botnsdalur

← Open sea · Faxaflói

To Reykjavík

40 km

To Akranes

15 km

Natural Depth

Up to 20 m

Residential Conflicts

Infrastructure 2026—2032

Four national roadworks,
one transformed region.

Four major government transport projects will dramatically improve connectivity to Galtarhöfn over the next five to seven years — each one directly strengthens the port's viability.

01 · 2027

Sundabraut

11 km bridge / tunnel link from Sæbraut to Kjalarnes. Eliminates the Mosfellsbær detour and turns Hvalfjörður from "remote" into "adjacent" to the capital.

02 · 2028

Kjalarnes II

Continuation of Sundabraut northward — connecting Kjalarnes directly to Vesturlandsvegur and from there to Hvalfjarðargöng.

03 · 2030

Hvalfjarðargöng II

A second tunnel bore doubles capacity, enables two-way heavy freight simultaneously, and removes the current bottleneck.

04 · UNDERWAY

Vesturlandsvegur 2+1

Route 1 upgrade already underway — alternating passing lanes past Galtarhöfn itself, improving safety and heavy-transport capacity.

Site Plan

101.7 hectares,
purpose-built.

Two zones, one vision: an industrial area tuned for large-footprint operations, and a dedicated port area engineered for the largest vessels — all connected to Iceland's renewable grid and to the Gandheimar mine on-site.

AF15 Industrial

64.6 ha

Warehousing, processing, logistics, on-site production

Port Zone

37.1 ha

Quay, storage yards, port operations

Total

101.7 ha

Lot sizes 0.8 – 4 ha · Max height 18 m

Key Infrastructure

▲1,000 m quay wall — bulk, container, cruise-capable.
↓Up to 20 m draft — accommodates the largest deep-sea vessels.
⚡Shore power at every berth — every vessel plugs in, zero harbour emissions.
◎10 MW+ electrical capacity from Landsnet — renewable by default.
≈Dual water system — separate drinking and industrial water networks.
→Direct Route 1 access — Iceland's ring road at the perimeter.

Master site-plan drawing for Galtarhöfn showing numbered lots, internal roads and quay alignment — Landnr. 133627 · Lóðir · Vinnuteikning 250326

Same master site plan overlaid on aerial satellite imagery of the Galtarhöfn site — Overlaid on real terrain · Hvalfjörður north shore

Port Services

Every class of vessel.
Every category of cargo.

A multi-purpose terminal designed for bulk, container, RoRo, cruise and project cargo — connected to a 4.8 million m³ verified aggregate reserve on-site at the Gandheimar mine.

Autonomous container cranes operating under the aurora at the Galtarhöfn quay — Autonomous quay operations · 1,000 m berth · shore-powered

◼

Bulk cargo

Ferrosilicon, cement, aggregate, fishmeal, grain, fertiliser — direct quay loading from on-site processing.

◆

Aggregate & sand export

High-grade material from the Gandheimar mine processed on-site and shipped throughout Iceland and Europe.

▣

Container handling

Overflow capacity for Sundahöfn as Reykjavík densifies — with faster turnarounds and no queuing.

◐

Cruise terminal

20 m draft allows the largest modern cruise vessels — 5,000+ passengers, shore-powered while docked.

▶

RoRo capability

Vehicles, machinery and heavy equipment — with laydown area and direct ring-road access.

◭

Project cargo

Wind-turbine components, industrial modules, oversized units — 1,000 m quay and 18 m build height.

Energy Exchange

Ships don't just consume
— they participate.

Every berth is wired for a two-way energy flow: renewable shore power out, residual heat back in. The port behaves like a living organ of Iceland's energy grid.

⚡

Shore Power

100% renewable grid — ships shut down main engines at berth.

♨

Geothermal Heat

179°C hot water piped to quayside — district heating for ships.

↻

Waste Heat Recovery

Residual thermal energy from vessels returns into the port network.

◎

Autonomous Ops

Automated mooring, smart-grid management, AI berth scheduling.

⟳

Grid Balancing

Predictable vessel load lets the port serve as a flexible asset for Landsnet.

Circular Economy

A park where materials
never become waste.

Galtarhöfn is built on the philosophy of the circular economy — the operational model for every tenant on site. Sharing, repairing, reusing, remanufacturing and recycling, with clean water, geothermal heat and renewable electricity as the substrate.

Clean Water

pH 8.8 mineral water, 30–50 L/s

Geothermal

179°C hot water for heat & power

Renewable Grid

Hydro + geothermal from Landsnet

Gandheimar Mine

4.8 M m³ verified aggregate reserve

Tenants

Processing, prefab, bottling, logistics

Port Export

Direct mine-to-ship loading, zero intermediate transport

Project Status

Live today.
Operational by 2029.

Zoning has been approved by Hvalfjarðarsveit. Public consultation is open right now. Environmental impact assessment is underway under Act 111/2021.

28 JAN 2026

Zoning Approved

Hvalfjarðarsveit municipal council

15 APR – 27 MAY 2026

Public Consultation

Open now — stakeholder submissions

Q3 2026

EIA Decision

Environmental impact — Act 111/2021

2027

Construction Starts

Quay wall, infrastructure, utilities

2029

First Berths Operational

Initial tenants move in

Be part of it

Build the next chapter
of Icelandic industry.

We are speaking with operators, logistics partners, shipping lines, cruise operators, aggregate exporters and green-industrial tenants. Whether you need a 0.8 ha laydown yard or a 4 ha processing facility — we would like to hear from you.

Start a conversation → Review planning docs

Project Lead

Gunnar Þór Gunnarsson

Forsvarsmaður · Galtarhöfn ehf.

Direct

galtarhofn@galtarhofn.is

+354 612 7879

A new gateway forSouthwest Iceland.