Port of Dover

The Port of Dover will refurbish three major berths as part of the Bridge project

Major investment in the Ports of Dover and Calais has been unveiled in a new collaborative project to protect and enhance cross-Channel freight routes.

The Bridge (Building the Resilience of International and Dependent Gateways in Europe) project will see both ports improving berths to the highest technical standards and reorganising the surrounding traffic flow.

The project aims to solidify links between the UK and Northern France, Benelux and North-East Spain, and ensure that Dover and Calais are part of European efforts to create a fully integrated freight route combining road, rail and maritime transport.

It was launched at an event at Calais, during which both port management’s signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ in the presence of stakeholders and owners.

Freight traffic between Dover and Calais is expected to rise by 40 per cent by 2030, and Bridge project organisers said the route is currently the focus of cross-Channel collaboration and major investment.

Tim Waggott, chief executive of the Port of Dover, said: “Bridge recognises that, by collaborating, we can complement each other and enhance the resilience of this international trade route.

“We connect the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland with the continental mainland, so it is essential that Dover works closely with our opposite numbers in Calais. By developing efficient port facilities and transport connections on both sides of the Channel we will be perfectly placed to meet the needs of our customers, communities and strengthen the local economies.”

In Calais there are plans to increase capacity through a new harbour, a new cross-Channel terminal with a further three cross-Channel berths and one Ro-Ro berth, and 80 hectares of new platforms.

The French port is also investing in a new rail motorway terminal linking the port in Nord-Pas de Calais with Perpignan in the south of France.

At Dover, two piers have recently been extended and a further three major berths will be refurbished by 2015.

Both ports are reorganising surrounding road networks to handle increased traffic.

Dover and Calais ports handle more than a third of roll-on roll-off (RoRo) cargo between the UK and continental Europe.

They are both designated as ‘core ports’ under the TEN-T network 2014-2020, and have been recognised as ‘strategically important’ by the European Commission.

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