Ferry Company Carries Record Number of Freight Vehicles - Despite Migrant Crisis

UK – FRANCE – In January we reported the record levels of cross channel freight achieved by P&O Ferries between Dover and Calais, and this despite all the problems associated with the migrant crisis that still blights the French port and surrounds. Now the company tells us it has achieved another milestone with more than 100,000 freight vehicles in every month since May 2015, a period of thirteen consecutive months.

The six vessels the company deploys on the route exceeded this benchmark for carrying this number of vehicles comfortably beating the previous record which was seven consecutive months between January and July 2012. In 2015, P&O Ferries carried more freight across the English Channel than in any previous year since 2003. The company's ships transported 1.34 million units of freight during the 12-month period - an increase of 22% year on year. Janette Bell, Chief Commercial Officer at P&O Ferries, said:

"These figures illustrate that demand on the English Channel continues to be robust, with our ferry services providing a vital link in the supply chain between Britain and France on which hundreds of thousands of businesses depend. We have made it a priority to minimize dwell times for our customers and have put a freight-only vessel back into operation to provide extra trips when needed."

"Our objective is to give all our customers the lowest possible waiting times. Freight customers work on very low margins in a highly competitive industry and it costs them money when drivers and equipment stand idle unnecessarily."

Earlier this year, P&O Ferries also reached agreement with VIIA to provide transport to Britain for unaccompanied freight arriving on a new train service between Le Boulou and Calais. This new intermodal service is operating on a daily basis and providing a direct trailer link to the UK for exporters in France and Spain.

Photo: P&O Ferries Spirit of Britain arrives at Dover.