Record-breaking truck traffic on Dover-Calais crossing

P&O Ferries claimed to have carried more ro-ro freight between Dover and Calais in 2015 than in any previous year, and expects demand for cross-Channel freight transport to continue to increase.

Its six ships on the English Channel transported 1,340,317 freight units during the 12-month period − a 22 per cent year-on-year increase. Both third and fourth quarters set new freight volume records as P&O Ferries provided an additional vessel and more sailings on the Dover to Calais route. Freight comprises around two-thirds of the company’s business.

P&O Ferries’ commercial director, Janette Bell, said: “We expect demand for cross-Channel transport to increase, driven by a rising population and the strength of the British economy. The vast majority of our freight customers are businesses transporting goods from continental Europe to Britain.”