Since April 2014, Port of Dover Police and the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) have joined forces to intercept stolen vehicles entering and leaving the UK. In that time, over 80 vehicles have been recovered with an estimated total value in excess of £1 million pounds.

PC Thwaites has been instrumental in the operation’s success and now Combined Industry Theft Solutions (CITS) will present him with a special Construction Equipment Security and Registration (CESAR) award for his contribution to the fight against European auto crime.

Paul Wilczek, the Port of Dover Police Chief Officer, said: “There is a story of anguish behind every piece of stolen property we recover. International auto theft doesn’t only have a major impact on the victims of car crime – it often funds international criminal gangs as well.

“PC Thwaites’ work, however, has sent a very clear message to criminals – ‘if you come through this port, you will be caught’.”

The actions of PC Thwaites have been so successful that the Port has a warehouse with a growing collection of stolen and recovered vehicles, engines and valuable spare parts that would have otherwise been part of crime rings involved in the theft, dismantling, rebuilding and eventual resale or exporting of stolen motor vehicles.

Ian Elliott, chairman of CITS, said: “The huge amount of stolen property that PC Thwaites has recovered has had a massive impact on the organised crime networks operating throughout the UK.

“Each year, the CITS Board presents a number of awards to individuals who have done the most to reduce crime and been proactive in reducing the effects of theft.”

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Notes to Editors:

• The port handles 13 million passengers, 2.5 million freight vehicles and £100 billion of UK/European trade.
• The port supports 22,000 jobs, many of which are in the local community.
• It has a shared vision to protect and enhance short and long term port capacity for the nation while delivering the catalyst for the regeneration of Dover.
• The Combined Industry Theft Solutions (CITS) forum is a group of stakeholders from the construction and agricultural industries, whom include manufactures, insurers, police, the Home Office, construction and utility companies and the hire industry who meet to create best practice and strategies to reduce crime for those sectors. It was this group that assisted the creation of the Plant and Agricultural National Intelligence Unit (PANIU) and the Construction Equipment Security and Registration (CESAR) scheme.

This year’s bursary scheme – part of the Port’s wider Youth Engagement Scheme (YES) – is open to students living in and around Dover.

It encourages young people to take up study at university in a port-related field to ensure the Port’s future success is driven by local people. The Port also provides the students with paid work placements of up to one year during or following the period of their study.

Combining the exciting operations of Europe’s busiest ferry port with the potential experience of being involved in one of the biggest development projects in the South East – Dover Western Docks Revival – it is an exciting time to join the Port of Dover team. 

Anita Wilson, General Manager for Corporate Administration at the Port of Dover, said: “We are encouraging the brightest and best graduates to think about a career at the Port of Dover and these bursaries offer the extra push that’s needed.”

Are you aged between 16 and 24? Live in Dover? Due to start a degree course in September 2016? This bursary scheme could provide you with valuable funding and potential career opportunities.

The awards are for students who are:

• Aged between 16-24 years
• Living within the post code bands CT14 to CT17
• Entering full time study in September 2016
• Studying a relevant degree course
• Prepared to undertake a work placement with the Port during their study

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

• The port handles 13 million passengers, 2.5 million freight vehicles and £100 billion of UK/European trade.
• The port supports 22,000 jobs, many of which are in the local community.
• It has a shared vision to protect and enhance short and long term port capacity for the nation while delivering the catalyst for the regeneration of Dover.
• The Bursary Scheme is part of the Port’s YES (Youth Engagement Scheme) initiative:
  • Working to improve the skills of local young people
  • Supporting our work to develop local skills that match opportunities of a growing port.
  • Enhancing the skills of local young people and fostering the next generation of local people who will keep the town, Port and UK economy moving.
• The value of each award is equivalent to one term’s fees, to a maximum of £3,000, per academic year, subject to satisfactory progress.
• To apply, visit: http://www.doverport.co.uk/csr/sayyes/  

The brave souls donned their scariest Halloween make-up and clothes and, in the failing light of a sunny autumn day, charged along Prince of Wales Pier for the Port of Dover’s first ever Mini Monster Mile Dash.

Vampires, skeletons, zombies, black cats and demons battled for top slot – not only competing for the best time, but also for the best haunted look.

Tim Waggott, the Port of Dover’s chief executive, said: “Halloween is a great time for many youngsters and their families get into the spirit… and go for a spectacular look.

“I’m really pleased the race brought the community together and the competitors really had a great time.”

The contest was separated into two heats – the first for three to eight-year-olds, the second for nine to 14-year-olds.

Fastest boy in the first heat was Owen Burton, who finished the course in 7.50 minutes. Fastest girl was Jessica Stephens at 8.24.

At 7.11 minutes, Oliver Clayton was the first boy to cross the line in the nine to 14 category. And Amelia White was the fastest girl at 7.54.

Erin Brazier and Arthur Warner won the best fancy dress for the three to eight-year-olds, and Tyne Brock-Carey and Jake Brazier had the most haunting clobber among the older competitors.

Prizes and goody bags were sponsored by John Graham Construction – the company appointed by the Port to deliver part of the Dover Western Docks Revival project.

Dan Hockey, the company’s project director, said: “We were pleased to support this fun community event.”

An after race party gave children the chance to try their skills at apple bobbing, take part in scary trials and tuck into some top nosh.

Money raised by the event will go to the Dover branches of the RNLI and homeless charity Emmaus.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• The Port handles 13 million passengers, 2.5 million freight vehicles and £100 billion of UK/European trade.
• The Port supports 22,000 jobs, many of which are in the local community.
• It has a shared vision to protect and enhance short and long term port capacity for the nation whilst delivering the catalyst for the regeneration of Dover.
• Dover’s 2014 Stakeholder Benefit in Numbers:
  • £51.1m – Total community benefit 
  • £10.3m – Heritage assets and environmental commitments expenditure 
  • £350,000 – Port of Dover Community Fund 
  • 1,371 staff training days 
  • 1,600 hours – Community and environmental projects and events 
  • 4,535 hours – Neighbourhood policing by the Port of Dover Police 
  • 50 hours – Road Safety events
• GRAHAM is a privately owned company operating in the construction, asset management and project investment markets whose primary focus is building and maintaining infrastructure.

Within five days of the last incident of Operation Stack in early August, Europe’s busiest ferry port had recovered – and was handling record volumes on a daily basis.

Tim Waggott, Port of Dover chief executive, said: “August is historically a quieter month for freight, whereas June and July have notoriously higher freight peaks.

“However, the Port is having busier days and has carried more freight in the last two months than it did in the equivalent months of 2014. And all of that with fewer vessels on the route.

“In the last 12 months we have carried more freight than the annual total in 2014.”

Since the end of the last period of summer industrial action, the Port has handled up to 9,300 freight units in a single day, the equivalent last year was 9,200; with last year having 13 vessels operating, compared to 11 on the current Dover route.

Mr Waggott added: “This phenomenal growth on Dover’s short-sea market is yet another reminder of the fundamental importance of Dover as a major gateway into the UK for both freight and passengers, supporting the UK economy.”

Freight volumes at the Port grew 4.2 per cent in September (with 9,000 more freight units carried during the month) when compared with the same month in 2014 despite the August Bank Holiday suppressing freight volumes and weather conditions mid-month.

On a rolling 12 month basis, freight has grown by 6.4 per cent with a unit variance of 150,000 – the equivalent of 2,700km or 305 times the height of Mount Everest.

Mr Waggott said: “Over the last 20 years, the number of freight vehicles travelling from the UK to mainland Europe has increased by 83 per cent; this growth is expected to continue with predictions for the average daily demand increasing to between 14,000 and 16,000 per day in the next decade.

“That’s why the Lower Thames Crossing is crucial in keeping Britain connected with the Port. If freight through the Port is increasing, the road network needs the resilience to cope with demand.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

• The port handles 13 million passengers, 2.5 million freight vehicles and £100 billion of UK/European trade.
• The port supports 22,000 jobs, many of which are in the local community.
• It has a shared vision to protect and enhance short and long term port capacity for the nation while delivering the catalyst for the regeneration of Dover.
• The Port of Dover and Channel Tunnel are the gateway to Europe from the UK; in 2014 almost 2.4 million cars and over 2.4 million freight vehicles passed through the Port of Dover and almost 2.6 million cars and over 1.4 million freight vehicles passed through the Channel Tunnel, giving a combined total of almost 4 million freight vehicles making this journey per annum. 

The delegates – all leaders in their fields – were in town for a two day Pro-Tide conference last week which scrutinised the results of tests and analysis carried out in Dover, the Isle of Wight, the Netherlands, Belgium and France.

More than 20 speakers talked industry, shipping and environmental specialists through their findings in a series of seminars and presentations.

Ben de Reu, member of the Executive Council of the Province of Zeeland in the Netherlands, said: “The cooperation with the other Pro-Tide partners has led to new opportunities to share knowledge, to see first-hand innovative developments, to discuss new findings with experts from different countries and to form new alliances.”

Vicki Jago, the Port of Dover’s environmental manager who hosted of the conference, said: “The Pro-Tide project has been focussing on getting power from sites that have relatively low flow rates and tidal ranges.

“It’s been different to other tidal energy projects because it’s been studying systems that could work closer to the shore, in estuaries and tidal rivers, and alongside coastal defences.

“The results, presented last week, suggest projects in these locations really do have the potential to supply us with green energy.”

As part of a commitment to reduce its carbon footprint, the Port of Dover has been looking to develop a small tidal energy array within the harbour, and will feed the findings from the Pro-Tide conference into its feasibility study – focusing on device performance, environmental constraints, and cost-effectiveness.

Tidal power is an important form of renewable energy. Unlike solar or wind power, it doesn’t rely on specific weather to be effective – it is predictable 365 days a year.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

• Pro-Tide is an Interreg IVB funded European project that aims to further develop the use of tidal energy systems in North West Europe, focusing on innovative systems operating at sites with small differences in tide levels and/or low flow rates. It is different from other tidal energy projects because of its focus on systems which may be suitable for near-shore locations, estuaries, tidal rivers and coastal defense infrastructure.
• Please visit http://www.pro-tide.eu/final-conference/ for more information

In a letter to George Osborne, 12 chief executives, chairmen and directors have urged the Government to “set a firm timetable and financial package” in Whitehall’s forthcoming Autumn Statement.

The consortium – representing port, airport and rail specialists, transport associations, chambers of commerce, logistics experts and an enterprise partnership – says the new crossing is “more than just a new bridge or tunnel”.

“It’s transformational,” the letter says. “But, at the moment, it’s still a vague outline on a map.

“There’s no commitment to funding or delivery – which we need to see to progress our plans for further long-term investment in the area.”

The signatories believe a Lower Thames Crossing would lead to new jobs, skills apprenticeships and increased productivity, reinvigorating development in the region.

And, while they concede the current Dartford Crossing “is a crucial transport artery”, they say it’s already over capacity and “a major bottleneck”.

“When there’s a problem,” says the letter, “traffic either sits there for hours or our goods and services have to fight their way through central London or worse, travel 100 miles around the M25 to bypass the 750m crossing.”

Tim Waggott, chief executive at the Port of Dover, is among those who signed the letter. He said: “Imports and exports through ports like Dover aren’t just a lifeline for trade and industry in the South – they’re crucial to the powerhouses of the Midlands and the North. That’s why UK PLC desperately needs a new crossing to keep us all connected.

“With the Dartford Crossing operating above its design capacity, this new infrastructure is required for our transport networks and key freight corridors to remain free flowing and, above all, resilient.

“The country has outgrown its old infrastructure – we need to start building for the future. It’s only by getting projects like this going that we’ll ensure the economic recovery keeps Britain moving.”

Those behind the letter represent DP World London Gateway, Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, Essex Chambers of Commerce, Claridon, South East Local Enterprise Partnership, London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, London Southend Airport, Port of Dover, Port of Tilbury London, Freight Transport Association, Eurotunnel, and the Road Haulage Association.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

• The port handles 13 million passengers, 2.5 million freight vehicles and £100 billion of UK/European trade.
• The port supports 22,000 jobs, many of which are in the local community.
• It has a shared vision to protect and enhance short and long term port capacity for the nation while delivering the catalyst for the regeneration of Dover.
• The Port of Dover and Channel Tunnel are the gateway to Europe from the UK; in 2014 almost 2.4 million cars and over 2.4 million freight vehicles passed through the Port of Dover and almost 2.6 million cars and over 1.4 million freight vehicles passed through the Channel Tunnel, giving a combined total of almost 4 million freight vehicles making this journey per annum. 

The Yacht Harbour Association – which sent the “mystery shopper” to assess service and facilities – says the popular boat haven has retained its coveted Five Gold Anchor rating.

The association’s ruling came after it completed the second of two undercover visits to the marina this year. It had also quizzed berth holders and carried out a rigorous audit before coming to its decision.

Port of Dover chief executive Tim Waggott said: “This on-going recognition shows we’re as painstakingly focused on small vessel customers as we are on our big ships.

“And we have major plans to create an even better marina when we start the Dover Western Docks Revival.”

The Gold Anchor has been a benchmark for marinas for 25 years. Its rating system is similar to the stars awarded to hotels and restaurants – giving sailors quality assurance on the standards they can expect at anchorages around the coast.

The audit accounts for 85 per cent of the final score, the berth holder response is five per cent and the “mystery shops” ten per cent.

In the final “shop”, the Port of Dover Marina was given nine out of ten.

Mr Waggott added: “Perhaps the fantastic new waterfront we want to deliver through our plans for the western docks will get us the ‘ten’ and  secure Dover’s position as an excellent destination to visit.”

Berth holder, Nigel Scutt, said: “The choice of mooring my own boat here in Dover Marina was a simple one. Having been born in Dover, the opportunity to have an annual mooring here was obvious.

“That was more than five years ago and in that time the marina has consistently achieved the Gold Anchor award.

“Now there is even more to look forward to with the advent of a new marina facility and recreational outlets through the Dover Western Docks Revival – which is not only vital for the port, town and its people, but also for berth holders.

“I believe our marina will continue to receive this award and will ultimately receive the full ten out of ten once the development is completed. These are exciting and progressive times for everyone.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• The port handles 13 million passengers, 2.5 million freight vehicles and £100 billion of UK/European trade.
• The port supports 22,000 jobs, many of which are in the local community.
• It has a shared vision to protect and enhance short and long term port capacity for the nation while delivering the catalyst for the regeneration of Dover.

We’re expecting more than 300,000 passengers to take advantage of the fantastic ferry deals on offer this autumn.  

And staff at the port are preparing for nearly 66,000 cars and more than 1,700 coaches from Saturday, October 24, to Sunday, November 1.

Great value deals from our ferry operators mean money to spare for a comfortable and family-friendly sea crossing – the perfect stress-free start to the half-term holidays. 

Not only is Dover ideal for day trippers using the shortest sea route between the UK and France, but it also offers motorists the opportunity to reach Belgium and the Netherlands on the motorways linking northern France with the rest of Europe.

And there’s plenty for youngsters to do within striking distance of Calais – like Belgium’s Plopsaland with its fun park rides, petting zoo, boats and bumper cars, or France’s sea life centre Nausicaá.

So travel from Dover and enjoy a first class service, flexible departure times and exclusive ferry deals.

DFDS Seaways have a number of great value affordable offers, including: 10 per cent off Dover-Dunkirk or Calais return crossings – plus two free meals, Dover-Dunkirk or Calais autumn short break offers from £45, and Dover-France multi-trip tickets from £27.

P&O Ferries have fantastic deals on short breaks to France, including £25 day trip plus six free bottles of Vive La Vie wine, short breaks starting at £57 return and 40 per cent retail offers on board.

Added to the great deals is the convenience to simply turn up at the port, check-in and then sail across to Europe in less time than it takes to check-in and board a flight.

It’s an easy decision to travel by ferry from Dover to Europe.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

• The port handles 13 million passengers, 2.5 million freight vehicles and £100 billion of UK/European trade.
• The port supports 22,000 jobs, many of which are in the local community.
• It has a shared vision to protect and enhance short and long term port capacity for the nation while delivering the catalyst for the regeneration of Dover.
• Customers are still advised to contact their chosen ferry operator before travelling and consult the Port of Dover website (www.doverport.co.uk) or Twitter account (@PoD_travelnews) for the latest travel information. 

The Port of Dover is embarking on a major redevelopment of the docks – investing £200 million in capital construction projects over the next five years.

And, along with the Discovery Park Enterprise Zone and Dover District Council, the Port will be exhibiting on the Invest in Dover stand (E25) at London Olympia for MIPIM UK from 21-23 October 2015 to showcase this work.

The projects include the £120 million development of a new cargo terminal and logistics hub as part of the Dover Western Docks Revival (DWDR) project. It will create 600 new jobs as well as safeguarding 140 existing roles, and create a new marina in the outer harbour, unlocking non-operational land for a major waterfront regeneration scheme.

Jason Ransley, business manager for property and regenration at the Port of Dover, said: “Dover is currently seeing an unprecedented level of investment and it’s great the town and waterfront have a shared vision to take Enterprise Coast forward for the benefit of its residents, businesses and visitors. The port is committed to playing its part in making Dover a place to shout about and celebrate.”       

MIPIM UK is the country’s largest exhibition and conference for property professionals. It provides a market place for UK players and international investors to meet, discuss projects and opportunities, and do business.

Mr Ransley added: “There is currently huge investment taking place across the south east of Kent and, with an ever increasing appetite to invest outside London, there’s real potential for investors to Discover Dover.”

Stop by the Invest in Dover stand (E25) to find out more about investment opportunities, Dover regeneration and how DWDR is moving forward to secure:

• 600 NEW JOBS
• THE CATALYST FOR THE WIDER REGENERATION OF DOVER
• LONG TERM PORT CAPACITY
• INWARD INVESTMENT

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

• The port handles 13 million passengers, 2.5 million freight vehicles and £100 billion of UK/European trade.
• The port supports 22,000 jobs, many of which are in the local community.
• It has a shared vision to protect and enhance short and long term port capacity for the nation while delivering the catalyst for the regeneration of Dover.
• Dover Western Docks Revival (DWDR) is a major opportunity that is acting as a catalyst for the regeneration of Dover.  It could create over 600 new quality jobs and safeguard another 140 by developing a new cargo terminal and port centric distribution facility.  This would revive the Western Docks, protect long term port capacity and enable the transformation of the Waterfront with the potential creation of a new marina.
• Support us by following (@PortofDover) with the dedicated hashtag #MipimUK and #DoverWesternDocksRevival.