Port of Poole

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The Port of Poole. Poole , Poole Harbour - geograph.org.uk - 1778880.jpg
The Port of Poole.

The Port of Poole is a cross channel port on Poole Harbour in Poole, Dorset, South West England. [1] Along with Weymouth Harbour, Poole has the other major Channel Port in Dorset. [2]

Contents

History

In World War II, the port was used in the Normandy landings. [3]

In the late 1960s, Poole Harbour Commissioners were considering the option of establishing a terminal for a freight ferry service between Poole and Cherbourg to take advantage of the shortest distance between England and France, west of Dover (64 nautical miles). Reclamation work for the land the terminal was to be built on was commenced in 1971 with completion due two years later. [4]

Truckline Ferries services launched on 29 June 1973 with a crossing by the French-built Poole Antelope (named after a pub on Poole High Street) from Cherbourg to Poole. [5] The ship and the company were the first RORO ferry to use the new terminal at Poole and the opening of this part of the port helped to address the increasing conflict between the tourist popularity of Poole Quay and the commercial shipping needs of the port. [6]

Over the first ten years since completion of the freight ferry terminal, freight volumes expanded considerably. In 1973, Truckline carried 2,324 lorries and by 1982 the figure was reported to be over 62,000 lorries and an additional 20,000 Italian car imports. [4] [7] This large increase in traffic, along with an unfortunate incident in September 1980 when the linkspan at was damaged to the point of being unusable after a collision between it and Countances, which lost power on docking [8] , leaving both damaged and seeing Truckline services temporarily switch to Weymouth until the linkspan could be repaired, [9] prompted Poole Harbour Commissioners to expand the ferry port to 44 acres, with a further a 10m wide linkspan, opened in October 1984. [8] [6]

In July 1985, Brittany Ferries announced they had purchased Truckline Ferries for an undisclosed amount, [10] resulting in an immediate £3.5 million cash injection to develop the service further. [4] This resulted in two major moves by the company; the first to 'jumboize' the freight ships Coutances and Purbeck, the second being to introduce a new passenger service under the Truckline brand during the summer season from June 1986, [4] which was to become the first cross channel passenger ferry service from Poole. [11]

After much speculation, British Channel Island Ferries announced in August 1988 its decision to focus services on the port of Poole from 2 January 1989, [12] allowing them to reduce crossing times to the islands by up to two hours, [13] resulting in the curtailment of their services from Portsmouth and Weymouth on 2 January 1989 and 1 October 1988 respectively. [14] [15]

The continued growth of both Truckline and the port at Poole resulted in a further expansion of the port. This was undertaken during 1989 with further land reclamations taking the total terminal area to 60 acres and included a third linkspan. The expansion was opened in April 1990 by former employment secretary Sir Norman Fowler. [8] [6]

Brittany Ferries ordered two new ships in 1990, one of which was for Truckline services and during construction was lengthened to cater for increasing passenger numbers. This ferry eventually sailed as Barfleur to Poole for the first time in April 1992, becoming the largest ferry ever to dock at the port and requiring substantial dredging of the main access channel to facilitate access, [4] along with construction of an upper deck to one of the Poole linkspans to accommodate the new ship. [16] This record stood until 2007 when this record was surpassed by Bretagne [17] and then again in 2010 by Armorique. [18]

In January 1994 it was announced that due to substantial losses, British Channel Island Ferries had been bought by Commodore Shipping. Freight services were transferred to Commodore Ferries at Portsmouth, and passenger operations moved to Condor Ferries at Weymouth, operations of under the BCIF name would cease on 22 January 1994, with around 100 staff being made redundant from that date. [19] The move away from Poole by Condor resulted in a long-running legal battle with Poole Harbour Commissioners, who claimed the move at short notice broke a ten year contract with BCIF, which resulted in the loss of 35 jobs at the port. [20] The deal, signed in 1989, had been worth £300,000 per year to the port. The commissioners had claimed £4 million damages from Condor, although an undisclosed settlement was reached between the two parties days before a court hearing in June 1996. [21]

In 2017, a D-Day veteran and the last known Mark 4 landing craft tank, LCT 728 , was rediscovered rotting in Poole Harbour at the Port alongside another unknown Mark 3, possibly LCT(4) 510 . [22] They were used as floating barges in the 1950s. [23] [24]

A cargo ship at the Port of Poole in May 2019. KASTOR (IMO- 9390094) cargo ship Poole harbour wharf May 2019.jpg
A cargo ship at the Port of Poole in May 2019.

In November 2020, the Port set up a flu vaccination service [25] and also received £86,000 for the Brexit transition period. [26]

In December 2020, it was reported by BBC News that Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council is preparing a bid for free Port status post Brexit. [27] [28] The bid for becoming a special economic zone includes Bournemouth Airport. [29]

In April 2021, the port set up equipment at the cruise terminal to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. [30]

In November 2023, work was finished at a £2.2m border control post at the Port of Poole. [31]

Services

The Port is used by Brittany Ferries. [32] and Condor Ferries. [33] The ferry crossing to Cherbourg in France is the shortest crossing of Brittany Ferries. [34] In the summer of 2020, the Cherbourg services were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [35] From mid April 2025 the port will also be served by DFDS Seaways. [36]

Poole Port also has a Border Force Post. [37]

Transportation

A Optare MetroRider at the Port of Poole in 2013. T272 EWW Optare MetroRider, Port of Poole, July 15th 2013 (9640642528).jpg
A Optare MetroRider at the Port of Poole in 2013.

The Port of Poole uses Optare MetroRiders for passengers commuting.

Economy

The Port of Poole is a major destination the cruising, as well as for international trade for imports and exports of cargo. [38] A fishing industry is also present. [39]

Immigration

It has been reported that the Port of Poole is a target for Illegal immigration to the United Kingdom. [40] In 2017, 18 migrants were found including children in a lorry. [41] In 2019, the then local MP for Poole, Robert Syms called on the government and the Minister of State for Immigration to provide more resources to deal with the issue. [42] The Port has a border control post.

References

  1. "Port of POOLE, [GB] United Kingdom (GBPOO). Arrivals / Departures / Estimated Arrivals". myShipTracking. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  2. "Poole Port". uk-ports.org. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  3. "DDay Veterans given a warm welcome to the port of Poole". Poole Harbour Commissioners. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Cowsill, Miles (1993). Brittany Ferries: From the Land to the Sea / De la Terre a la Mer (in English and French). Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire: Ferry Publications. ISBN   1-871947-17-0.
  5. "Juggernaut Ship Sails In". Bournemouth Evening Echo. 30 June 1973. p. 1.
  6. 1 2 3 Slade, Darren (23 October 2013). "First Ro-Ro Ferry at Poole Hails New Era". Bournemouth Daily Echo. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  7. Hogan, Pat (22 February 1983). "Poole: Poised for Prosperity". Bournemouth Evening Echo. p. 30.
  8. 1 2 3 "History 1970 - 1990". Poole Harbour Commissioners. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016.
  9. "Collision Forces Ferry Switch". Dorset Evening Echo. 22 September 1980. p. 1.
  10. "Brittany Buys Truckline". Southern Evening Echo. 4 July 1985. p. 3.
  11. "Now It's The Ferry at Full Stretch". Bournemouth Evening Echo. 7 April 1986. p. 12.
  12. "Ferry Swap is Launched". Bournemouth Evening Echo. p. 29.
  13. "Full Steam Ahead". Bournemouth Evening Echo. 19 August 1988. p. 1.
  14. Searle, Brian (2 October 1998). "Twist of Fate Led to 'Pappenburg Sister's' Stay". Dorset Evening Echo. p. 40.
  15. Kirkman, Richard (2018). By Sea to The Channel Islands. Ramsey: Ferry Publications.
  16. "History 1990 - 2008". Poole Harbour Commissioners. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016.
  17. "Expansion Plans for Dorset Port". BBC News. BBC. 26 February 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  18. Slade, Darren (21 November 2016). "Largest Ferry Ever to Berth in Poole Takes Over Barfleur Service". Bournemouth Daily Echo. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  19. "Shipping Out". Bournemouth Evening Echo. 8 January 1994. p. 1.
  20. "New Hope of End to Ferry Battle". Bournemouth Evening Echo. 13 February 1996. p. 3.
  21. "Ferry Company Pays for 'Contract Breach'". Bournemouth Evening Echo. 26 June 1996. p. 2.
  22. "Royal Navy – Landing Ships". The Searchers. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  23. ""A rotting wreck now has its wartime identity restored": Vessel in Poole Harbour is D-Day veteran". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  24. "Poole Harbour D-Day Tank Landing Craft: The last of a dying breed?". CITiZAN.
  25. "Thousands attend drive-thru flu vaccination at Port of Poole". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  26. "Port of Poole gets £86,000 Brexit transition money". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  27. "Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole prepare bid for free port status". BBC News. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  28. "BCP prepare bid for freeport status in potential boost for Bournemouth Airport". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  29. "More than 30 UK bidders ready to pursue 10 freeport zones". Financial Times . 4 February 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  30. "Equipment deployed at Poole's refurbished cruise terminal to detect COVID-19". seatrade-cruise.com. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  31. "Economy set for boost with new border facility at Port of Poole". Bournemouth Echo. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  32. "Poole port guide - Brittany Ferries". www.brittanyferriesfreight.co.uk. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  33. "Poole Port | Ferry Routes & Ports". Condor Ferries. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  34. "Poole to Cherbourg ferries". Brittany Ferries UK. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  35. "Brittany Ferries will not resume Poole to Cherbourg route this summer". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  36. https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/24887484.dfds-confirms-delay-new-ferry-services-port-poole/
  37. "Plant imports: authorised border control posts in the UK". GOV.UK. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  38. "Trade booming at the Port of Poole". Ships Monthly. 29 September 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  39. "Ports.org.uk / Poole". www.ports.org.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  40. "Illegal Immigrants Target Poole Port". Heart Dorset. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  41. "18 suspected illegal immigrants including 'seven children' found in lorry at Poole Port". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  42. "'There needs to be more resources in ports like Poole': MP's concerns over reports of immigration incidents". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 28 December 2020.