| Port of Calais | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | France |
| Location | Calais |
| Statistics | |
| Passenger traffic | 10,863,262 [1] (2019) |
The Port of Calais in northern France [2] is the fourth largest port in France and the largest for passenger traffic. It accounts for more than a third of economic activity in the town of Calais.
The Port of Calais was the first cable ship port in Europe and is the fourth largest port in France and the largest for passenger traffic. [3]
After the Treaty of Le Touquet was signed by France and the UK on 4 February 2003, juxtaposed controls were established in the port. [4] [5] Passengers travelling from the port to Dover, UK go through French exit checks (conducted by the French Border Police and French Customs) as well as UK immigration entry checks (by the UK Border Force) before embarkation. UK Border Force officers have the power to arrest and detain individuals in the immigration control zone in the port. [6] Customs checks remain unaffected by the Treaty. Therefore, on arrival in Dover, travellers might still be stopped by UK Border Force customs officers for a customs inspection. [7]
The harbour entrance is to the north-west of the main harbour, coming after a dredged channel due west. Once past the harbour entrance and in Avant Port (or Outer Harbour), the waterway splits into two directions, south-east to Canal de Calais or east-north east to Bassin Président Henri-Ravisse.
On the Bassin Président Henri-Ravisse not far in lie ferry berths on the southern side of the channel, while on the northern side lies a RoRo dock. These ferry berths are capable of handling a ship up to 215 metres long. Further past the berths lie the cargo ship docks, with the northern shoreline hosting four ship-to-shore cranes. The southern side of the channel has nothing as all the space is taken by the ferry cargo handling facilities, so it is instead used as a general mooring station. The Bassin Président Henri-Ravisse ends with three RoRo berths at the end.
The Canal de Calais goes to the south of the ferry terminal, and turns right, to the south into Arrière Port. Behind a sluice gate and a moveable bridge lies Bassin de Ouest, which is used as a mooring space for yachts and other pleasure boats. In Arrière Port however, there the channel branches off into Le Canal de Calais à Saint-Omer, which leads into a lock. Behind the lock lies Bassin Carnot, which is used as a secondary cargo terminal. After that, to the south-west lies another set of locks, which branch off into Calais' canal system. [8]
As of June 2021 [update] , three companies operate regular scheduled services to Calais:
| Ferry Company | Destination | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Irish Ferries | Dover | Service began 29 June 2021. |
| DFDS Seaways | Dover | |
| P&O Ferries | Dover | |
Cargo traffic has tripled over the past two decades. In 2007 more than 41.5 million tonnes of traffic passed through Calais with some 11.52 million passengers, 1.4 million trucks and trailers, 2.249 million cars and 4,700 crossings a year. [3] On average, ships sail from the port every 30 minutes. [3] Most of the traffic in Calais comes from the Port of Dover.
In 2015, A new 400 million euro project was underway at the port to create a breakwater protecting a pool of 700 metres long, thus allowing Calais to have the capability to handle vessels of all shapes and sizes, from the smallest private yachts to supersize cruise ships, like the Oasis class cruise ships. [9] [10]
Buses connect the port with Gare de Calais-Ville on the SNCF network. There are regular TER Hauts-de-France trains through Hazebrouck to Lille Flandres (for SNCB/NMBS into Belgium, for example to Gent-Sint-Pieters), Calais-Fréthun, Boulogne, as well as along the coast via Gravelines to Dunkerque.
There are also direct TGV trains which run from Calais-Ville then via Calais-Fréthun (served by Eurostar) to Lille-Europe and Paris Gare du Nord.
Calais is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. The population of the city proper is 72,929; that of the urban area is 149,673 (2018). Calais overlooks the Strait of Dover, the narrowest point in the English Channel, which is only 34 km (21 mi) wide here, and is the closest French town to England. The White Cliffs of Dover can easily be seen on a clear day from Calais. Calais is a major port for ferries between France and England, and since 1994, the Channel Tunnel has linked nearby Coquelles to Folkestone by rail.
Sealink was a ferry company based in the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1984, operating services to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Isle of Wight and Ireland.
P&O Ferries is a British shipping company that operates ferries from United Kingdom to Ireland, and to Continental Europe. The company was created in 2002 through mergers and acquisitions within P&O. It has been owned by Dubai-based DP World since 2019.
Calais-Fréthun station is an SNCF international railway station in the suburbs of Calais, France. It is one of four stations serving the town; the others are Calais-Ville in the town centre, Fontinettes in the suburbs, and Beau Marais in the suburbs.
LD Lines was a French shipping company, with both roro freight and passenger ferry operations. It was a subsidiary of Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA), which engages in building, owning, operating, and managing vessels. LD Lines operated ferry routes on the English Channel, the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean Sea.
MS Isle of Innisfree is a passenger and car ferry to be operated by Irish Ferries between Dover and Calais. Originally built at Boelwerf as the Prins Filip originally sailing between Dover and Ostend, later between Ostend and Ramsgate, she has since 1997 operated for a wide variety of companies.
The Port of Dover is a cross-channel ferry, cruise terminal, maritime cargo and marina facility situated in Dover, Kent, south-east England. It is the nearest English port to France, at just 34 kilometres (21 mi) away, and is one of the world's busiest maritime passenger ports, with 11.7 million passengers, 2.6 million lorries, 2.2 million cars and motorcycles and 80,000 coaches passing through it in 2017, and with an annual turnover of £58.5 million a year. This contrasts with the nearby Channel Tunnel, the only fixed link between the island of Great Britain and the European mainland, which now handles an estimated 20 million passengers and 1.6 million trucks per year.
The Port of Caen is the harbour and port authority of the Norman city of Caen, France.
The Varne Bank or Varne Shoal is a 5+3⁄4-mile (9.3 km) long sand bank in the Strait of Dover, lying 9 miles (14 km) southwest of Dover in Kent, England. With the Lobourg Channel running along it, the Varne bank lies immediately south-west of the deepest point 223 feet (68 m) in the strait of Dover. Its rectilinear shape is similar to other banks in the strait such as South Falls bank bordering the Lobourg Channel on the east, the Colbart bank and others. Rectilinear-shaped banks are only present on the English side of the strait.
The Channel Ports are seaports in southern England and northern France, which allow for short crossings of the English Channel. There is no formal definition, but there is a general understanding of the term. Some ferry companies divide their routes into "short" and "long" crossings. The broadest definition might be from Plymouth east to Kent and from Roscoff to Zeebrugge although a tighter definition would exclude ports west of Newhaven and Dieppe. A historic group of such ports is the Cinque Ports of south-east England, most of which have ceased to be commercial ports.
The M/F Sporades Star is a passenger ferry which belongs to Seajets. She was previously owned by Moby Lines and was named Moby Love. She was launched in 1972 as Saint Eloi but not completed until 1975 due to the bankruptcy of the shipyard that built her. She was built as a multi-purpose ferry, capable of carrying railway rolling stock as well as road vehicles.
Folkestone Harbour is the main harbour of the town of Folkestone in Kent, England.
The Boulogne–Calais railway is an electrified double track railway running between the ports of Boulogne-sur-Mer and Calais in France. An extension of the Longueau–Boulogne railway it meets the Lille–Fontinettes railway and Coudekerque-Branche–Fontinettes railway to Dunkirk at Les Fontinettes station in Calais.
MS Al Andalus Express is a freight ferry owned by Eurotunnel and operated by FRS Iberia/Maroc. She was built in 1987 by Chantiers du Nord et de la Mediterranee, Dunkirk for Societe Nationale des Chemin de Fer Francais (SNCF) as a multi-purpose passenger and roll-on roll-off ferry for lorries and railway vehicles. After the introduction of Eurotunnel there was no need for a train ferry, so SNCF was losing money running her. She was acquired by SNAT and Stena Sealink in 1989, which operated the Nord Pas-de-Calais until 31 December 1995. From 1 January 1996 SNAT operated as SeaFrance. The vessel was renamed SeaFrance Nord Pas-de-Calais. SeaFrance operated until November 2011, and was liquidated on 9 January 2012. Eurotunnel won the bid for the three of the former SeaFrance vessels the original name of the vessel was restored, dropping the SeaFrance prefix. MyFerryLink started running on 20 August 2012, although Nord Pas-de-Calais joined in November 2012 following a refit. Following MyFerryLink's cessation of operations, mostly cited due to financial issues, the ferry was used directly by Eurotunnel to carry hazmat cargoes that are not allowed on regular train services.
Juxtaposed controls are a reciprocal arrangement between Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom whereby border controls on certain cross-Channel routes take place before boarding the train or ferry, rather than upon arrival after disembarkation. With the exception of the Eurotunnel Shuttle route, customs checks remain unaffected by juxtaposed immigration controls and continue to take place upon arrival after disembarkation. Belgium, France and the Netherlands are all member states of the European Union and part of the border-free Schengen Area. The United Kingdom, on the other hand, has never participated in the Schengen Area, even when it was a member state of the European Union. As a result, juxtaposed controls aim to increase the convenience and efficiency of border checks when travelling by train or ferry between the Schengen Area and the UK by removing the need for immigration checks on arrival and by streamlining checks on departure. At the same time, juxtaposed controls are intended to detect and prevent illegal immigration. In 2016, there were over 56,000 instances when people were refused entry to the UK at the juxtaposed controls.
The Port of Newhaven is a port and associated docks complex located within Newhaven, East Sussex, England, situated at the mouth of the River Ouse.
The MV Al Salmy 4 was a former train ferry, converted to RO-RO/Passenger ferry.
The Dover–Dunkerque train ferry was one of two regular rail freight train ferries that operated between the United Kingdom and Europe. The route connected the English port of Dover, with the French port of Dunkerque. After rationalisation of other Anglo-European train ferries, the Dover to Dunkerque sailing was the last to survive, though it ended its days on freight carryings only after the Night Ferry passenger service ended in 1980. The last Dover to Dunkerque wagon-freight ferry service became redundant upon the opening of the Channel Tunnel when freight was carried directly through the Channel Tunnel.
The border between the countries of France and the United Kingdom in Europe is a maritime border that stretches along the Channel, the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The Channel Tunnel links the two countries underground and is defined as a 'land frontier', and not widely recognised as a land border.
Jean-Marc Puissesseau - President and Chairman of the ports of Calais and Boulogne (Société d’Exploitation des Ports du Détroit)
Media related to Port of Calais at Wikimedia Commons
