Ferry terminal features new check-in booths and upgraded facilities after €14.88 million renovation
By
Rebecca Gibson |
DFDS and the Port of Dunkirk officially opened the newly renovated Channel Terminal in Dunkirk, France on 17 March.
The €14.88 million renovation was partly funded by the European Union (€1.29 million excluding VAT, the Port of Dunkirk (€12.88 million) and DFDS (€2 million).
Now covering more than 17 hectares rather than 10, the renovated facility features a new 350sqm DFDS ticket office, which also houses administrative offices and staff amenities, at the site entrance. Meanwhile, the terminal entrance has six additional passenger check-in booths and four freight check-in booths, and once past the control points, passengers enter a parking area with 41 lanes – the equivalent of up to three shiploads of vehicles. The passenger terminal has also been improved and features a new large information screen.
Motorway access to the terminal has been improved with better signage and separate access routes for passenger vehicles and heavy goods vehicles. In addition, a double fence and surveillance cameras ensure user safety and security.
The new terminal design will accelerate ship loading and unloading procedures, improve the safety of staff, make check-in and border control processes faster and more secure for customers, and streamline customer transit between the port entrance and the ferries.
Dunkrik’s terminal was opened by DFDS representatives Peder Gellert Pedersen, executive vice president, and Carsten Jensen, senior vice president. The port was represented by François Soulet de Brugière, chair of the board of trustees; Philippe Bertonèche, chair of the development board; and Stéphane Raison, CEO.