History of Reykjanes Harbour

Parish Rivalry

When work began on surveying and developing harbour infrastructure, the municipalities of Keflavík and Njarðvík had already been merged. This union took place in 1908 and lasted until 1942, when the municipalities were separated again, partly due to disagreements over harbour matters. Discussion about whether to develop a harbour in Njarðvík or Keflavík therefore became a contentious issue, and many residents of Keflavík considered it unacceptable to build in Njarðvík, even though an engineer’s assessment supported it.

Both the Ministry of Labour and Transportation and the Lighthouse and Harbour Authority were involved in the matter, and Njarðvík was consistently regarded as the better option compared with developing harbour facilities at Vatnsnes, which was among the sites considered in Keflavík. Fishing vessel owners in Keflavík municipality, however, had their sights set on Keflavíkurgróf.



To make a long story short, when it came to the outcome of the first harbour in the combined municipality of Keflavík and Njarðvík, the result was that the fishing entrepreneur Óskar Halldórsson negotiated with the landowner at Vatnsnes for rights to construct a pier and obtained access to the existing data from earlier studies on the feasibility of building harbour facilities there. The construction of the pier was completed in 1933, but it was not useful for motorboats.

Development Begins at Njarðvík Harbour

Around 1940, discussions began in earnest about the development of a large harbour in Njarðvík. The plans involved building a 160-metre-long breakwater extending from Klapparnef and a harbour wall approximately 400 metres long, constructed of stone and concrete, to the southeast of Klapparnef. The depth alongside the harbour wall would be five to eight metres. Inside Klapparnef and extending toward the pier owned by Magnús Ólafsson at Höskuldarkot, a land reclamation area of 3,500 square metres was planned.

At about the same time, the state began examining the possibility of constructing a secure harbour on the southern side of Faxaflói Bay, and attention turned to developing a harbour at Ytri-Njarðvík. The location was considered promising, as it would be possible to enclose the bay with two breakwaters on either side and the construction of a protective barrier. Poor harbour conditions along the southern and western shores of Faxaflói were considered a hindrance to fishing in the bay.

In 1942, a committee was appointed in Alþingi to propose measures to strengthen the position of the fishing industry in the country. In the report accompanying a parliamentary resolution from that year, it is stated that the renewal of the fishing fleet would be one of the major tasks in the coming years, as there had been little renewal of fishing vessels in the years before the war. The condition of the fishing industry improved during the war years, however, and it was considered urgent to improve facilities at those fishing stations most frequently used by incoming boats.

At that time, it was common for boats to be operated from places other than their home port for part of the year. The fisheries committee therefore proposed that so‑called national harbours be established at suitable fishing locations around the country. When the committee concluded its work in 1945, it had only examined the possibility of building such a harbour at Njarðvík. As before, these ideas were a source of irritation to fishing operators in Keflavík, who pointed instead to the development at Vatnsnes. The municipal councils of Njarðvík and Keflavík issued a joint opinion stating that improvements to the harbour at Vatnsnes should accompany the development of a national harbour in Njarðvík. The Alþingi fisheries committee took the views of the municipal councils into account and, in 1945, submitted a proposal to Alþingi for a national harbour in the municipalities of Keflavík and Njarðvík. Nowhere in the country did the committee consider harbour improvements to be more urgently needed.

The First Harbour Laws Are Enacted

The proposal marked a turning point in the development of harbour infrastructure in Iceland. Not only were laws passed by Alþingi in 1946 concerning a national harbour in the municipalities of Keflavík and Njarðvík, stating among other things, that the state treasury would fully finance the construction of harbour facilities in those municipalities, which would then become state property—but the first legislation covering all harbours in the country was also enacted. The aim of the legislation was to promote increased operation of fishing vessels.

Following the passage of the law, negotiations began with landowners in Ytri-Njarðvík, concluding in September 1947 with the purchase of land by the cove along with the harbour structures located there. Acquiring land in Innri-Njarðvík proved more difficult, and agreements with the principal landowner there were not reached until 1949. Finally, the state acquired the land at Vatnsnes in 1955.

Improvements to the Foundations of the Present North and South Breakwaters

At the same time as the municipal councils of Keflavík and Njarðvík were working on a joint proposal to Alþingi for the development of national harbours in the municipalities, fishing vessel owners in Njarðvík were in discussions with the Lighthouse and Harbour Authority regarding construction work on harbour facilities in Njarðvík.

In the summer of 1945, the Höskuldarkot pier (the foundation of the present North Breakwater at Njarðvík Harbour) was significantly extended at the initiative of the fishing entrepreneur Karvel Ögmundsson, who was to play a major role in the development of harbour infrastructure in Njarðvík. Funds accumulated during the war years were running out, and since substantial interests were at stake for Karvel’s operations—he ran the freezing plant Hraðfrystihús Njarðvíkur together with his brother Guðmundur Þórarinn, with landing facilities at the harbour in Ytri-Njarðvík—and acted. Karvel served on the first harbour board for many years and was therefore aware of the harbour’s financial difficulties.

Among other things, his company undertook the extension of the pier by 18 metres in 1947 on behalf of the Keflavík–Njarðvík National Harbour, and in the summer of 1948 he proposed that his freezing plant would lend the state treasury 250,000 ISK for construction work on the pier in Ytri-Njarðvík, to be repaid in government bonds. This was approved and work subsequently began on the construction of the so called Freezing Plant Pier, or Karvelsbryggja as it was often called. Skipasmíðastöð Njarðvíkur (The Njarðvík Shipyard) was responsible for casting the concrete units used in the pier construction, which was completed late in 1948. The Freezing Plant Pier forms the foundation of the present South Breakwater at Njarðvíkur Harbour.

Rapid Growth in the Years That Followed

In the years that followed, there was significant growth in the development of harbour infrastructure in Ytri-Njarðvík. In the summer of 1949, the harbour breakwater was extended by 26 metres and the protective breakwater at Klapparnef by 30 metres; in addition, a 44 metre shelter wall was cast on the harbour breakwater. Furthermore, the Höskuldarkot pier was raised to full height and a deck cast over it. The harbour breakwater was again extended by 12.3 metres in 1951 and by a further 11 metres the following year. In 1955, the boat pier, or Ársælsbryggja—named after the fishing vessel Ársæll—was slightly repaired. The protective breakwater at Klapparnef was extended once more by 12 metres in 1957. The following year, improvements were made to the boat slipway in Ytri-Njarðvík, but harbour construction came to a halt in 1957, and this pause lasted for six years.

At this point, Bragabryggja, a wooden pier used by small boat owners and providing shelter for the Njarðvík Shipyard, had become very dilapidated, and there were concerns that it would not withstand the strain if larger vessels would dock. The leaders of the Njarðvík Shipyard emphasised the need to improve the pier. The Ministry of Transport granted permission for this, and the board of the National Harbour was tasked with securing funds for the work. Magnús Konráðsson, an engineer at the Lighthouse and Harbour Authority, prepared plans for a 55‑metre-long protective breakwater by the slipway. The Njarðvík Shipyard undertook its construction, and the work was completed in the autumn of 1958. All further development at the harbour in Ytri-Njarðvík was then halted for several years, despite the need for improvements. Bragabryggja has long since been absorbed into the operational area of the Njarðvík Shipyard. It may be noted that the building of the former Njarðvík Machine Workshop (Vélsmiðja Njarvíkur) once stood at the end of the pier.



In 1959, the board of the National Harbour prepared a six‑year plan for the construction of harbour facilities under its management. The plan assumed that the harbour at Ytri-Njarðvík would be capable of serving three cargo vessels simultaneously, 25 fishing vessels of up to 150 tons, and that berthing space would be created for up to 150 fishing vessels, each between 75 and 150 tons. Magnús carried out an assessment of the harbour structures in Ytri-Njarðvík and proposed that the harbour breakwater be extended by 50 metres and widened by 2 metres, from 10 to 12 metres. In addition, Ársælsbryggja was to be extended by 95 metres. Funding for the project, however, was not obtained. Ársælsbryggja has since been covered by land reclamation.

Keflavík and Njarðvík Residents Press for Improvements to the National Harbour

Fishing operators in Keflavík and Njarðvík had grown increasingly frustrated with the lack of facilities, and in September 1962 the municipal council of Keflavík, the parish council of Njarðvík, and the board of the National Harbour held a joint meeting at which, among other things, dissatisfaction with the authorities’ performance in harbour matters was discussed. Those present were urged to press the members of parliament for the constituency to secure funding for improvements to the National Harbour. At another meeting on harbour matters, a resolution was adopted expressing support for the development plan of the National Harbour board from 1959.

It is considered that the unity of the people of Keflavík and Njarðvík led to their campaign for improvements to the National Harbour being successful. Funding was obtained for the extension of the harbour breakwaters in Ytri-Njarðvík, the North and South Breakwaters, and construction began in 1963. Following a tender process, Efrafall sf. was awarded the contract for the work, which lasted for nearly seven years. The outer breakwater, the North Breakwater, was completed first and handed over to the harbour authorities at the end of 1966, while construction of the South Breakwater was completed in early 1970. The two breakwaters are T shaped, and for the first time hollow blocks filled with concrete were used in breakwater construction; until then, cast concrete units had predominated in harbour construction in Iceland.

In 1975, an additional rock protection breakwater was constructed on the North Breakwater, and the operational area was expanded, after a severe storm that struck the country in January of that same year which damaged the existing structure. This work was completed in 1978 and significantly improved landing facilities at the harbour. The rock used for the protective breakwater was taken from a quarry at the northern end of Keflavík.

In 1981, work began on dredging at the outer head of the North Breakwater. At the same time, 45 metres of steel sheet piling were installed to extend the berthing edge along the outside of the breakwater. This created a berthing edge with a depth of 7.5 to 9 metres for vessels up to 130 metres in length. In addition, a 7,000 square metre container area was paved, which was, among other uses, utilized for transport operations of the Defence Force through the harbour at that time. The work was completed in 1982, and as a result the service capacity of Njarðvík Harbour for larger vessels increased.

Municipal Authorities Take Over the National Harbour

A turning point occurred at the turn of the year 1989/1990, when the Minister of Transport and the Minister of Finance, on behalf of the state, transferred ownership of the Keflavík–Njarðvík National Harbour to the municipal councils of Keflavík and Njarðvík. At the same time, the harbour’s name was changed to Keflavík–Njarðvík Harbour. Upon the transfer, funding was secured for maintenance and construction, and commitments were made for financial allocations in the coming years.

Following this, plans were initiated for the construction of a connecting road between the harbour areas in Keflavík and Njarðvík, the so-called Bakkavegur. It was made passable for traffic in 1991 and represented a major improvement in transport conditions for the fishing industry. Subsequently, plans were made to examine the possibility of constructing a small-boat harbour in Gróf, capable of accommodating up to 50 small boats. Construction of the small-boat harbour began toward the end of 1991 and was completed in 1995. The harbour was, however, officially inaugurated on 27 November 1992.

Around the turn of the year 1991/1992, the Suðurnes Fish Market was relocated to Hafnarbakki 13 at Njarðvík Harbour. Along with the relocation of the fish market, a landing crane was installed on the North Breakwater. Work also began on land reclamation between the breakwaters, creating a good working area and easy access for transporting fish to the fish market building. The market operated at Njarðvík Harbour until 2009, when the property was sold to Saltver hf.



In 1995, Njarðvík Harbour had an ice tower constructed at the harbour, and the building was leased to Sigurður Hallgrímsson. Sigurður relocated ice-making equipment from Garður and operated an ice plant until 1999, when he sold the operation to Njarðvík Harbour, which has run the ice tower since. This service is based on delivery at the factory gable, where customers can collect the product either in containers or directly on board the relevant fishing vessel.

The municipalities of Keflavík, Njarðvík, and Hafnir were merged in June 1994, at which point Hafnir Harbour (Hafnahöfn) was added as part of Keflavík–Njarðvík Harbour. The Suðurnes Harbour Association was established at the beginning of 1997 through the merger of Keflavík–Njarðvík Harbour with the harbours in Vatnsleysustrandarhreppur and Gerðahreppur. The association was dissolved at the end of 2002, and Reykjanes Harbour commenced operations in its current form in December of that same year.

Further Development of Njarðvík Harbour and Future Plans

In 2003, work began on extending the rock protection breakwater in Njarðvík Harbour that had originally been constructed in 1978, as it was considered not to provide sufficient shelter. This work was completed in 2004, and the breakwater was extended by 60 metres. This extension significantly improved berthing conditions in the harbour.

Larger fishing vessels are generally assigned berths in Njarðvík Harbour. The harbour also serves as a short-term berthing facility for fishing vessels that make use of the services of Njarðvík Shipyard. A considerable number of cargo vessels also called at Njarðvík Harbour in earlier years, but traffic has largely shifted to Helguvík Harbour with the development of the industrial area there.



From 2020 onwards, preparations began for the expansion of the harbour area in Njarðvík, including at the operational area of Njarðvík Shipyard on the southern side of the harbour to accommodate future development plans. Development has begun at the harbour area with dredging and the construction of a coastal protection barrier in accordance with these plans.

In 2024, development projects that had been planned for many years began at Njarðvík Harbour. These developments consist of the construction of a sheltering breakwater for the existing harbour structures and dredging within the harbour area. The first phase began in the spring with dredging and was completed in the first half of 2025. At the same time, the second phase—consisting of the construction of the sheltering breakwater—was put out to tender, and that work was completed in the autumn. The third phase of this development consists of the construction of a 200 metre berthing quay within the sheltering breakwater, along with other associated harbour facilities. This phase began in 2026, and the breakwater will provide the harbour with exceptional conditions as a thriving harbour in the future.

Harbour Masters of the National Harbour Keflavík–Njarðvík, later Reykjanes Harbour (from 1994)

Thorhallur Vilhjalmsson 1946-1949

Ragnar Bjornsson 1950-1979

August Johannesson 1979-1986

Peter Johannsson 1987-2015

Halldór Karl Hermannsson 2015 – present