Stowaways target stranded trucks amidst Dover-Calais chaos

The effects of industrial action by the French workforce of the MyFerryLink service is continuing to cause turmoil for HGV drivers crossing the English Channel between Calais and Dover.

An initial strike began on 23 June following a decision by the British Competition & Markets Authority (CMA), demanding that Eurotunnel – which runs and operates the Channel Tunnel and up until July, MyFerryLink – divest itself of its ex-SeaFrance ferry fleet by selling two freight-passenger vessels to rival line DFDS.

Since Eurotunnel said it could not force the ferries’ new owner to take on the existing crews, a total of 476 ship and shore jobs were said to be at risk.

MyFerryLink workers reacted by not only blockading the Calais ferry port, but also attacking the French side of the Channel Tunnel, bringing tunnel traffic to a standstill in addition to halting the ferry service.

A second strike, which began on 29 June, had been suspended, and limited ferry services resumed, as of Thursday 2 July, the official handover date of the ferry service to DFDS.

The stand-off had resulted in massive queues of stranded trucks trying to leave France – and a similar situation outside Dover, as Operation Stack, deployed during periods of cross-channel disruption, came into force on the M20.

On 1 July, among the hottest days of the year so far, Kent local media reported that the police, fire and rescue and coastguard services – and even the Red Cross – had been recruited to help the county council ensure that truck drivers stuck in scorching cabs had sufficient food and water.

In Calais, attempts by migrants to gain access to HGVs returning to the UK had increased sharply during the strikes.

Some migrants launched attacks on queuing trucks, forcing trailers open in order to climb inside – with the French police operation appearing to have little effect.

Media outlets reported that drivers were being threatened by migrants attempting to board vehicles. Some claimed to have been confronted with knives, crow bars and even machetes.

During the second strike Richard Burnett, the chief executive of the Road Haulage Association (RHA), went to Calais to see for himself what the RHA called “the appalling conditions under which UK hauliers are currently operating.”

He said that the scale of the situation had “to be seen to be believed,” and reported “absolute mayhem” at the port.

“The time for talking around the table has passed,” he said.

“The UK and French governments must acknowledge their responsibilities to all Port of Calais users, move in and act. If this means deployment of the armed forces then so be it. Let’s get this desperate mess sorted out now and talk about a long-term solution afterwards.”

He added: “There appears to be very little, if any, security and demonstrators have closed both the Eurostar and LeShuttle tunnels by setting fire to tyres. This is not only causing disruption on a massive scale; it is inevitably putting many lives at risk…

“HGVs are stacking up way beyond Calais and its environs and right now, the stark reality is that for UK hauliers, there appears to be no end in sight.”

A week earlier, Burnett had said that it was: “totally unacceptable for hard-working truck drivers to have to run the gauntlet of fear and intimidation that is fast becoming the norm.”

“The resulting delays in freight vehicle movements are costing hauliers millions of pounds. For every hundred vehicles that have had no alternative but to wait, the cost will have been in excess of £30,000 per day,” he said.

“Although no definitive figure for the amount of vehicles stationary in Operation Stack at any one time is available, we’ve received reports from members that numbers at peak periods were over 2,500. This equates to a massive loss of £750,000 per day.”

The British International Freight Association, which represents freight forwarders, had earlier warned that disruption caused by stowaways had now become a serious threat to cross-Channel trailer services.

BIFA’s director-general, Robert Keen said: “Our members’ trailer services are being directly targeted by the migrants, putting the security of drivers, vehicles and customers loads at risk.

“This can cause long delays to the scheduled arrival times of truck in our members’ depots, jeopardise the delivery of freight to their customers and cause huge inefficiencies in their transport planning.

“Without action now from the authorities in France and the UK, I believe there is a good chance that if the situation continues, international transport sub-contractors will start to refuse to operate on the cross-Channel market, due to the personal and financial risks that their staff are now taking.”

Another knock-on effect of the situation is the amount of fresh food which is being destroyed as contaminated as a result of truck stowaways – more than £1 million worth per month, according to Nigel Jenney, the chief executive of the Fresh Produce Consortium.

The UK imports around one-third of its fresh produce from the continent, mostly from France and Spain; and many hauliers are now incurring extra costs by using routes other than the short-Channel, for fear of the 2,500 would-be stowaways who are now amassed around Calais port.

Earlier in June, Freight Transport Association deputy chief executive James Hookham met with immigration and security minister James Brokenshire to discuss the escalating crisis.

He said: “I was provided with a full briefing by the minister on latest developments, including the installation of new security fencing and additional checks being carried out to keep migrants away from vehicles and to defend the UK border against clandestine entry.

“FTA was briefed on the measures the British government is taking to protect truck drivers transiting Calais, and the diplomatic moves to engage the French government and other EU member states in responding to the desperate and increasingly dangerous tactics being employed by people traffickers to gain access to vehicles for clandestine entry into Britain.”