The Port of Dover, the UK’s busiest Port, is experiencing a thriving end to a successful year for its cargo operation and ferry services, as they enjoy a bustling period ahead of Christmas.
The Port’s busy cargo terminal is currently booming with perishable cargo for the Christmas rush, including melons, grapes, and bananas. Meanwhile, Dover’s Eastern Docks is flowing with trucks carrying goods to stock shops, restaurants, and supermarket shelves for the festive season, and is looking forward to welcoming passengers bound for their Christmas trips and ski holidays.
The Port of Dover’s year in travel and trade, in numbers
Since January 1:
- 29,108 miles of freight, car and coach traffic has been processed through the Port, a huge sum that underlines the efficiency of the operation based here; processing a distance that stretches beyond the circumference of the globe (24,901 miles), in just 0.68 square miles of land.
- 8.4 million passengers have travelled through the Port – with over 2m passengers passing through the Port during the 6-week summer holiday period alone, returning Dover towards its pre-pandemic tourist volumes; one of the first travel gateways to achieve this.
- The Port of Dover ferry terminal handles £144bn worth of UK trade and 33% of the UK’s trade with the EU, every year.
- The Port of Dover’s cargo terminal imported 148 million bananas and 9 million melons into the UK.
- The cargo terminal also saw a doubling of grain export volumes from 2021 – to 81,500 tonnes.
Commenting, Doug Bannister, Chief Executive Officer at the Port of Dover, said: “It has been a storied year at the Port, as ever; with records broken, milestones hit, and new partnerships formed. After the challenges of the Easter getaway, our collaboration with operational partners ensured a smooth summer season and a return to our pre-pandemic tourist volumes – one of the first travel hubs to do so – as holidaymakers continue to choose the country’s shortest sea crossing to France.”
“We also delivered the message of Dover’s value and policy needs to party conferences in Autumn, formed partnerships with best-in-class universities to incorporate AI into our daily operations and digitalise our Port, and took a huge step forward in becoming the UK’s first green shipping corridor. Meanwhile, the Port of Dover Cargo terminal continues to go from strength to strength – handling its largest-ever amount of fresh produce last winter season – with 31 vessel calls between December and March – with other thriving commercial partnerships cultivated that connect the South East and the world with construction materials, fresh produce, project cargo and agri-bulks.”
For more information:
Port of Dover
T: +44 (0) 1304 240 400 Ext. 4410
M: +44 (0)7741 164 971
Email: communications@portofdover.com