Dover Sets Freight Vehicles Export Record

A record number of freight vehicles departed on services through the Port of Dover yesterday, reaching numbers not seen since before the recession.

The port said 5,337 freight vehicles departed for Calais and Dunkirk from Europe’s busiest ferry port, beating the previous record of 5,322 set in 2008.

It was also the third busiest day ever for total numbers, with 10,134 freight vehicles handled. The busiest day was in 2008 when the port handled 10,584 freight vehicles following the Eurotunnel fire in September of that year.

Tim Waggott, Chief Executive, Port of Dover, says: “This shows just what reliance there is on the Port of Dover as a gateway for UK business. We have – and continue to develop – the infrastructure and facilities to provide the services which British exporters need. We have the essential levels of resilience for the nation when our major competitor gets into operational difficulties as it did this week.”

The total freight vehicle traffic handled by the port on Tuesday equates to a queue of freight traffic from the Port of Dover up the M20, over the Dartford crossing and up the M11 all the way to Stansted Airport, the port said.