Press Release
Opening of the port of Dover on 25 December
DFDS has continued to operate its crossings throughout this week, including during the French travel ban. We are prepared to transport freight drivers and their vehicles as well as all passengers who have an essential reason to travel from the UK to France provided they test negative for Covid in accordance with French government guidelines.
DFDS shares the frustration and disappointment felt by our cargo customers who are unable to travel, and we fully understand the problems this creates for local residents of Dover and the wider East Kent area. DFDS is playing its part in trying to clear the number of lorries still stranded, with our priority being the welfare and repatriation of all those who rely on our services.
The borders were reopened for freight drivers with a negative test at midnight on Tuesday and since then DFDS has had the capacity to ship up to 4,000 trucks; due to logistical problems that have prevented freight from arriving at the port, we have unfortunately only been able to move 144 trucks out of Dover.
We understand that this is a difficult situation for drivers who are currently stuck in queues or at the Manston lorry park and have already added extra crossings to the schedule today to help more drivers get home.
Christmas Day is the only day of the year when the Port of Dover is normally closed. At midday today we received a formal request to operate crossings from the UK Government and EU authorities to help resolve these extraordinary circumstances. We are in the process of finding volunteers among our staff who are making themselves available to work tomorrow, and we appreciate their support in leaving their own families on Christmas Day to help.
We are in discussion with all stakeholders about the sailing schedule we will be able to operate tomorrow and will update once it is finalised. For the time being, we reiterate our request to all cargo customers to avoid coming to Kent until the situation is resolved, and to all passengers not to come to the port unless they have a booking and a negative test.
Proudly named the World’s Leading Ferry Operator
We did it! After being crowned ‘Europe’s Leading Ferry Operator 2024’ at the World Travel Awards earlier this year, we are delighted to announce we have retained our title as the World’s Leading Ferry Operator.
We were also once again recognised as having the best website in our industry – scooping both the European and World awards in 2024.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who voted, and to our passengers, colleagues and partners who contribute to our continued success – we couldn’t do it without you all.