Cross-channel
A constantly adapting industry to better serve you!
Operating in the 3 ports for decades, the cross-Channel services are the heart of Ports of Normandy’s business and a veritable speciality. Our advantages: 3 cross-Channel ferry terminals along the Channel coast, comprising 40 ha of land, 5 operators, 6 destinations, more than 10 sailings daily in the high season, and freight and passenger services with considerable reach (Iberian Peninsula, West of France, Paris, Switzerland, Italy and more).
But for all that, there is no question of us resting on our laurels! Our terminals are constantly innovating, adapting to Brexit (terminals connected to the SI Brexit system operated by French Customs and equipped with a comprehensive range of phytosanitary and veterinary border inspection accreditations, and customs brokerage services in all the ports), to the increasing size of the ferries, and to our customers needs so that we can offer a seamless, comfortable and competitive service.
Our terminals comply with international regulations governing international ship and port facility security (ISPS), secured and surveilled, process unaccompanied trailers, and offer numerous passenger services (toilets, food outlets, WiFi, ATMs, etc.). And in the future, you will be able to benefit from all the advantages of a rail-road freight transport terminal at Cherbourg (2024).
Laurent Nativelle
Logistics Manager
Caen-Ouistreham cross-Channel services
Caen-Ouistreham, leading cross-Channel port to the west of Calais with three rotations daily operated by Brittany Ferries throughout the year, 100,000 HGVs including 20,000 unaccompanied trailers and 1 million passengers annually, offering extensive reach from the UK Midlands to the Iberian Peninsula.
To ensure its services, the operator relies on a cross-Channel terminal spread over 15 ha, highly secure, equipped with Phytosanitary and Veterinary Border Inspection services with extensive accreditations, and numerous services for passengers and drivers.
Cherbourg cross-Channel services
Cherbourg is all about choice: 4 ferry operators (Brittany Ferries, Condor Ferries, Irish Ferries, Stena Line), 5 destinations to England, the Channel Islands and Ireland, averaging 2 daily rotations to Ireland, 2 to England and 2 weekly rotations to the Channel Islands.
The 600,000 passengers and the 80,000 trailers, of which half are unaccompanied, benefit from a 15 ha ferry terminal, 3 boarding ramps, latest generation berthing stations, a Phytosanitary and Veterinary Border Inspection service, unaccompanied freight service, and a modern harbour station which offers numerous services to passengers and drivers.
A rail-road transport terminal is scheduled to open in 2024.
Dieppe cross-Channel services
The Port of Dieppe maintains a historic connection with England both for freight and passenger transport. Just 4.5 hours from Newhaven, the port offers two or four sailings daily operated by DFDS-Seaways on two comfortable ferries. The 350,000 passengers and 40,000 trailers annually benefit from a safe and pleasant ferry terminal, a Phytosanitary and Veterinary Border Inspection service, and a modern harbour station with many services for passengers and drivers.
Brief overview
Brittany Ferries plans to run a train daily between Bayonne and Cherbourg-en-Cotentin in both directions, thus moving 20,000 heavy goods vehicle trailers through the port. Currently 50,000 trailers move through the port annually.
By connecting Spain to England and Ireland through a combination of road, rail and maritime transport, the port and the ferry operator not only ensure their financial future, but also bring a concrete solution to the pressing question of energy transition: 1 tonne of CO2 per trailer. By developing this type of traffic, Ports of Normandy aims to establish the Port of Cherbourg’s position in cross-Channel trade.
To give substance to the project, Ports of Normandy intends to develop in the ferry terminal, that is to say as close as possible to the ferry loading ramps, a rail-road transport platform which can process ®Lohr-type wagons. Works to build the terminal should get underway this year and be completed by 2024.
Given that the project is a major investment, a public consultation was organised between 20 June to 15 July 2022 so that the project could be presented to local residents, the inhabitants of Cherbourg, to the stakeholders of the port and all those who will be impacted by the project.
Brief overview
The hardstanding in Dieppe outer harbour (8.8 ha) is home to the cross-Channel terminal, Gaston Lalitte quay (heavy cargo) and an area dedicated to the business of extracting aggregates from the sea. Ports of Normandy intends to extend this hardstanding in order to meet the needs of the cross-Channel business and allow the Port of Dieppe to attract new maritime traffic.
Brexit, which is already in place, and especially the forthcoming Entry-Exit system (EES) require inspections which mean that the cross-Channel area will have to be enlarged by 3 ha if we are to guarantee an unhindered flow.
As for the area that accommodates the sea aggregates business, its enlargement by 3 ha will benefit the future wind turbine maintenance facility for the Dieppe-Le Tréport wind farm and improve the circulation of heavy cargo.
Lastly, by enlarging the outer harbour by 13 ha, the Port of Dieppe is adapting to the increasing size of commercial vessels which will, sooner or later, no longer be able to enter the Paris Dock. It is therefore reasonable to anticipate and plan for an area that such vessels can access directly and easily within the coming decade.
The project includes a phase of technical, environmental, legal and economic studies. This phase began in 2022 and should be complete by late 2024. The purpose of the studies is to confirm the operation’s feasibility. If confirmation is forthcoming, the works could get underway in 2026-2027. A public consultation phase will take place in autumn 2024.
Brief overview
Subsequent to the extension of the Ouistreham ferry terminal in 2010, one of the compensatory measures involved rewatering the area known as Terrains François situated in the districts of Sallenelles and Merville-Franceville, in Orne Bay. This rewatering was made possible through various landscaping works and involved an area of 16 ha. The aims were to:
- Create new intertidal zones (foreshores) through the entry and exit of tidal waters
- Satisfy the management plan developed by the French Coastal Protection Agency by restoring the marches and salt meadows, and by adapting coastline management strategies to tackle the effects of climate change.
- Make the site a maritime wetland once again
This measure was undertaken in collaboration with the French Coastal Protection Agency
The works were complete in early 2022 and comprised the construction of a hydraulic structure (scupper) which allows the estuary water to flood the land at high tide and to run-off at low tide. The size of the structure controls the volume of water entering and therefore the depth of the water on the Terrains François.
Additionally, the site will also be subject to environmental monitoring in order to observe the effects of the rewatering on the ecosystem. At the same time the French Coastal Protection Agency launched the Adapto project for the purpose of exploring solutions to tackle the erosion and flooding of natural coastal lands in the context of worsening climate change. Adapto is testing a flexible approach to managing the coastline on 10 pilot sites belonging to the French Coastal Protection Agency, including the Orne estuary.