2005 RESULTS FOR THE PORT OF CALAIS :

Increase in freight and heavy goods traffic Decline in passenger traffic

Freight carryings through the Port of Calais overcame disruption in the early part of the year to recover from June and for the rest of 2005. But throughout the year, passengers using Europe’s busiest ferry port, continued to fall.

The general decline over recent years in passengers travelling between the UK and mainland Europe was underlined, with fewer British day trippers visiting Calais. Passenger numbers fell to 11,695,133, an overall reduction of 11.8 per cent compared with 2004.

On the other hand, cross-Channel freight traffic increased by 1.56 per cent to a total of 1,651,737 trucks and there was an increase of 2.3 per cent in tonnage handled through the commercial port. This was a good result in the light of the three month disruption from February until June in the Port. It also follows on from an exceptional year in 2004, when traffic grew by 12.6 per cent.

In terms of total tonnage handled by the Port of Calais, this also improved to a total of 38.3 million  tons, confirming Calais’ position as the 4th busiest French port behind Marseille, Le Havre and Dunkerque and ahead of Nantes-St Nazaire, Rouen and Bordeaux.

Reviewing the year, Jean-Marc Puissesseau, President of port administrator, Calais Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the port was now adapting more effectively to traffic requirements with a more flexible use of facilities and equipment. During the disruption earlier in the year, the port had done everything possible to ensure customers received a quality service and would continue to do so in the future.

In 2006, a major 110 million euro (£76 million) two and a half year investment programme in improving the port infrastructure comes to fruition. On 3 March a new linkspan in the cross-Channel ferry terminal – itself an investment of 40 million euros (£28 million), will be inaugurated.