DFDS and P&O cut freight waiting times on Dover to Calais route

Freight drivers will face fewer delays at Dover or Calais following an agreement between DFDS & P&O which will speed up the flow of freight traffic and cut waiting times.

The shared capacity deal will allow freight drivers to board the next available sailing when they arrive at the Port of Dover or the Port of Calais, regardless of which of the two ferry companies is operating the crossing. The move could save freight drivers up to 30 minutes on their overall journey time.

The deal is restricted to freight vehicles only and does not apply to sailings on the Dover-Dunkirk route, which is solely operated by DFDS.

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Filip Hermann, DFDS vice-president and head of channel routes, said: “Our focus is always to improve the ferry offering to freight customers. With this new space charter agreement in Dover-Calais we offer faster crossings and flexibility to relieve congestion and keep trade flowing”

The two ferry companies carry more than 2.5 million lorries across the English Channel every year, which is the busiest trade route between the UK and Europe.

DFDS operates routes across Northern Europe and the Mediterranean and also has similar agreements on the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and in the Mediterranean.