53-755: Irish Ferries is an Irish ferry and transport company that operates passenger and freight services on routes between Ireland, Britain and Continental Europe, including Dublin Port – Holyhead ; Rosslare Europort to Pembroke as well as Dublin Port - Cherbourg in France. The company is a division of the Irish Continental Group (ICG) which trades on the Irish Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange . ICG also owns
106-609: A beam of 36.8 metres (121 ft) and 122,400 gross tons . The cruise ship terminal can accommodate up to three ships at any one time. In 2019 the Port of Dover accommodated 130 cruise ship port calls and over 200,000 passengers, making it the second busiest cruise ship port in the United Kingdom after the Port of Southampton . Dover Cargo Terminal West opened in December 2019, replacing berthing and handling facilities at
159-417: A ceremonial interment at Westminster Abbey . Dover Marine railway station closed in 1994, later to be redeveloped into Cruise Terminal One. The Western Docks area was also used from 1968 to the early 2000s for a cross-channel hovercraft service run by Hoverspeed . Hoverspeed also ran catamaran services until being declared bankrupt in 2005. Another catamaran service was run from 2004 until November 2008 by
212-689: A connection with the M50 motorway). There is no passenger rail service to either part of Dublin Port but the northern part is served by freight rail. The northern part is also served by Nolan Coaches Route 853 Dublin City to Dublin Port and Dublin Bus , with route 53 and by a Luas terminus just outside the port area. The southern part can be reached by bus. The port is operated by the semi-state Dublin Port Company (DPC), incorporated on 28 February 1997 (formerly
265-400: A contract price of €144 million. The new cruise ferry can accommodate 1,880 passengers and crew, with 435 cabins and with capacity for 2,800 lane metres of freight (165 freight vehicles) plus an additional dedicated car deck with capacity for 300 passenger cars. Summer 2018 bookings for the new ferry were cancelled due to delays in its delivery from the shipyard. In March 2021, Irish Ferries in
318-538: A large artificial harbour constructed behind stone piers and a defensive concrete breakwater. The port is divided into two main sections: the Eastern Docks serve as the main cross-channel ferry terminal, while the Western Docks contain a cruise ship terminal and a yacht marina along with cargo facilities. The Port of Dover has a long history and possesses several listed buildings and structures. The port
371-906: A number of slightly-related businesses, and a Circle K petrol station on Bond Road. Entered at the north side of the port, but lying in East Wall, is one end of the Dublin Port Tunnel . Since 2015 DPC has been involved in a series of heritage and community projects, including the Diving Bell Museum, the Tolka Greenway, the Maritime Garden, and the Pumphouse Heritage Zone. In 2020, the Liffey to Tolka Greenway, designed with Grafton Architects,
424-646: A plan to improve capacity at the Port and a commitment not to expand the Port into Dublin Bay. Prior to the Masterplan, over 40 years, the Dublin Port authorities had been exploring a controversial proposal to in-fill 21 hectares (52 acres) of Dublin Bay. The proposed development of Dublin Port which would have increased its capacity by 50 per cent was rejected by Bord Pleanála in June 2010. The main activity of
477-516: A port and trading gateway dates back at least as far as the Stone and Bronze ages. Known as Dubris during the Roman occupation of Britain , the port has always enjoyed a significant strategic position due to its proximity to continental Europe and as the location of the sheltered River Dour estuary between two imposing chalk cliffs. The development of the port led directly to the growth of Dover as
530-461: A result, the company put itself in a position to attract increased passenger and freight business, influenced by the modern facilities and improved reliability of each vessel and the extra capacity that was available on board. On 31 May 2016, ICG announced that it had entered into an agreement with the German company Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft to build a cruise ferry MV W.B. Yeats at
583-473: A ro-pax vessel, MS Norbay and will also charter ro-ro vessel MS Spirit of Britain (to be renamed). The company used to charter MV Kaitaki which was sold to Interisland Line , and Pride of Bilbao which was sold to St. Peter Line in 2013 and then renamed Princess Anastasia. Irish Continental Line was formed in 1973 as a joint venture between Irish Shipping , Fearnley & Eger and Swedish company Lion Ferry . It originally operated on
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#1732801069718636-678: A settlement and, over many centuries, to the building of extensive defensive fortifications including Dover Castle and the Dover Western Heights . In the Roman era a walled town was built on the West Bank of the River Dour and the port grew into an important military, mercantile and cross-channel harbour. Dubris was one of the principal starting points of the Roman road later known as Watling Street . Dover grew further after
689-508: A surprise announcement revealed that they were opening a new route between Dover and Calais , due to start in June, later revealed to be June 29th. This is the first such route that Irish Ferries operates which does not call in Ireland, with Dover and Calais being two major UK and French ports respectively. The service began with the MS ; Isle of Inishmore (1996) operating between
742-553: Is one of the world's busiest maritime passenger ports, with 11.7 million passengers, 2.6 million lorries, 2.2 million cars and motorcycles and 80,000 coaches passing through it in 2017, and with an annual turnover of £58.5 million a year. This contrasts with the nearby Channel Tunnel , the only fixed link between the island of Great Britain and the European mainland, which now handles an estimated 20 million passengers and 1.6 million trucks per year. The modern port facility features
795-654: Is owned and operated by the Dover Harbour Board , a statutory corporation formed by royal charter in 1606 by King James I . Most of the board members of the Dover Harbour Board are appointees of the Department for Transport . The port has its own private police force, the Port of Dover Police . The current port traffic volumes and urban population categorize Dover as a Large-Port Town. Recent archaeology indicates that Dover's history as
848-566: The Norman invasion of 1066 as a member of the Confederation of Cinque Ports . After the martyrdom of Archbishop Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral in 1170, Dover flourished as the only designated port of entry for foreign pilgrims and as a point of departure for the third and subsequent crusades . Following Edward III's success at the Battle of Sluys in 1340, a large defensive wall
901-608: The Bahamas or Cyprus Dublin Port Dublin Port ( Irish : Calafort Átha Cliath ) is the seaport of Dublin , Ireland, of both historical and contemporary economic importance. Approximately two-thirds of Ireland's port traffic travels via the port, which is by far the busiest on the island of Ireland . The modern Dublin Port is located on either side of the River Liffey , out to its mouth. On
954-538: The Dublin Port and Docks Board, and successor to the Ballast Board founded in 1707), the headquarters of which are located just beyond the main port entrance on the northern side of the Liffey. In 2017 the area around the headquarters was rebuilt with the installation of a heritage crane and the creation of a maritime-themed garden. The company is responsible for the infrastructure of the port, with individual operations run by tenants such as State authorities, notably
1007-494: The Eastern Docks were opened on 30 June 1953. The first ro-ro ferry, the appropriately modified British Railways' SS Dinard , departed for Boulogne on 3 July 1953. Today, there are seven active docks for Ro-Ro vessels to utilise at Dover, one deconstructed dock and one unused dock for high-speed Ro-Ro watercraft. In 1966 well over 600,000 accompanied vehicles travelled through Dover's Eastern Docks en route to France or Belgium. After rail services were extended to Dover in 1844,
1060-416: The Eastern Docks. The Eastern Docks also used to be served by the following, all now defunct: An adjacent freight terminal (with three loading cranes) is scheduled to be repurposed under port redevelopment plans but can currently be used by ships of up to 180 metres (590 ft). This part of the port is formed by the western arm of the harbour, Admiralty Pier, and its associated port facilities. Recently
1113-470: The Eastern Docks. Two new berths can accommodate ships of 340 metres (1,120 ft) and 240 metres (790 ft) simultaneously with a minimum quay depth of 9.5 metres (31 ft). The new purpose-built cold chain and warehousing complex is capable of handling fresh produce, containers, project cargo , general cargo, breakbulk, grain and roll-on/roll-off . Marina facilities, primarily targeted at recreational sailing and power boating, are provided in both
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#17328010697181166-470: The Eastern harbour arm, through two portals which have been bricked up but can still be seen from the ferry port. Coal was deposited in bunkers at the outer end of the Eastern harbour arm. The ropeway had 600 1-ton buckets that departed at intervals of 21 seconds and travelled at 4½ miles per hour. The system could thus transport 120 tons of coal per hour. The first two roll-on/roll-off ferry berths in
1219-684: The Eucon container line which operates vessels on routes operating between Ireland and the continent. Irish Ferries' flagship, MV Ulysses , is currently the largest ROPAX ferry operating on the Irish Sea and when launched in 2001 was the world's largest car ferry in terms of car-carrying capacity. Other ships in the fleet include MS Isle of Inishmore , MV W.B. Yeats and the fast ferry Dublin Swift (preceded by HSC Jonathan Swift , which operated until 2018). The company also charters in
1272-615: The First World War. The company also handled machinery and general scrap, including the dismantling of the Dover Promenade Pier. The yard began to shrink after World War II and was closed in 1964 to make way for port redevelopment and a car ferry terminal. From 1930 until 1950 an aerial ropeway carried coal from Tilmanstone colliery, 7½ miles to the north. It emerged halfway up the Langdon cliffs directly above
1325-477: The Harbour of Dublin' (sic) in which the dangers of the bar of Dublin (a shallow sandbank which ran across the mouth of the river) was mentioned as well as a proposed basin in which ships could be secure from inclement weather or hostile attack. The year 1707 also witnessed the passing of "An Act for Cleansing the Port, Harbour, and River of Dublin and for Erecting a Ballast Office in the said city" which witnessed
1378-589: The Holyhead route. A new ship MV W.B. Yeats entered service in 2018 and is on the Cherbourg route. Another company, CLDN, has ships that travel 6 times a week to Rotterdam and Zeebrugge and use the latest super ferries in Europe: MV Celine and MV Delphine . These are the world's largest short-sea Ro-Ro vessels with 8 km of road space on board. They do not take trucks on board, just
1431-668: The Rosslare– Le Havre route with the 547 berth, 210 car ferry Saint Patrick . When Irish Shipping went into liquidation in 1984, Irish Continental Line was sold off in a management buyout and emerged as Irish Continental Group. In 1992, ICG took over the British and Irish Steam Packet Company Limited, a nationalised company which traded under the name B&I Line and operated ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead and between Rosslare and Pembroke Dock. In 2005, Irish Ferries replaced all its workers with foreign agency labour that
1484-550: The Western Docks were used as a terminal for the Golden Arrow and other cross-channel train services with its own railway station, Dover Marine , later renamed Dover Western Docks. At Dover Marine station an estimated 5 million troops departed for the trenches of World War I and nearly 1.5 million wounded soldiers returned. In 1920 the remains of the Unknown Warrior were landed prior to transportation to London and
1537-426: The company's figures for the first quarter of 2010 would eventually reveal. March 2010 saw a 13.5% trade increase when compared with March 2009, and that month was declared by the company as the fourth consecutive month of trade increase since the economic downturn. The figures of imports and exports declined during the depression of 2010 but then increased during the decade and in 2019, 38.1 million tonnes of cargo
1590-548: The construction of the Bull Wall . After the completion of the wall in 1825, North Bull Island slowly formed as sand built up behind it. The advent of containerisation in the second half of the 20th century resulted in the port gradually moving a mile further downstream to enable new wharves with deeper water to be constructed. A Masterplan 2040 was published by the Dublin Port Company in 2012 setting out
1643-518: The customs service, ferry, freight and oil companies, terminal operators, and stevedores. The port company is responsible for pilotage services within Dublin Bay , and manages the three port lighthouses (but not those of Howth or Kish Bank). It also formerly operated two drydocks , which were closed in 2016. According to DPC, the port handled 23.5 million tonnes of cargo in 2003, as well as 1,426,000 passengers. That year 7,917 ships docked in
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1696-579: The dockyards of Chatham and Portsmouth . In 1847 construction began on the Admiralty Pier. Envisaged as the Western Arm of the proposed haven, completion of the massive first stage in 1871 effectively stopped the silting of the harbour mouth as it cut off the drift of shingle from the direction of Folkestone . The Admiralty Pier was constructed using a foundation of Portland stone blocks surmounted by granite and durable Bramley Fall stone on
1749-598: The entrance to the port. Poolbeg Lighthouse at the end of the South Bull Wall was constructed in 1767. The wall was finally completed in 1795 measuring 5 km. This protected the port from the shifting sands of Dublin Bay. After James Gandon's Custom House was built further downstream in 1791, the port moved further towards the north bank of the river estuary. In 1800, a three-month survey of Dublin Bay conducted by Captain William Bligh recommended
1802-577: The focus of a £250 million port redevelopment project co-financed by the European Union. Conversion and restoration of the historic former Dover Marine rail terminus, and the opening of a second, larger, cruise terminal building in 1996, have supported a significant expansion in cruise ship traffic. Cruise Terminal 2 is able to accommodate ships as large as the Celebrity Silhouette at 319 metres (1,047 ft) in length overall ,
1855-600: The harbour. During World War II , the remains of another ship, the War Sepoy , were sunk alongside the Spanish Prince. Dover's Eastern Docks were used for ship breaking beginning during the First World War, when the Admiralty began dismantling ships there. The Stanlee Shipbreaking and Salvage Co. Ltd. took over the ship breaking operation commercially in 1920. Many of the ships broken up were naval vessels from
1908-587: The historic Wellington Dock and adjacent to the cruise terminal and cargo wharves. The port is accessible by road from the M20/A20 (leading to Folkestone ) and the M2/A2 (to Canterbury ), and by train from Dover Priory station with Southeastern services to London St Pancras via Folkestone Central , Ashford International , Ebbsfleet International , Stratford International as well as trains to London Victoria or London Charing Cross via Canterbury East and
1961-596: The initiation of the Ballast Office - the first municipal authority in Dublin to take control of the port. The key functions of the Ballast Office were the imposition of port charges and the maintenance of the navigation channel, the latter of which had been a perennial problem. Luke Gardiner acted as the first secretary of the office. In 1715, work began on constructing the Great South Wall to shelter
2014-456: The latest addition to its fleet, W.B. Yeats was awarded the 'Ferry Concept Award' and the 'Interior Architecture Award' at the international Shippax Industry Awards. In 2005, Irish Ferries began to re-register its fleet under flags of convenience , enabling the company to save approximately €11.5 million by replacing crew with agency staff. As of February 2018, all vessels owned by Irish Ferries or Irish Continental Group are registered in either
2067-533: The most successful engineering enterprises of [Queen] Elizabeth 's reign". The later construction of Wellington Dock, designed by James Walker in the early 1830s, occupies the approximate footprint of the Great Pent. After the threats of the Napoleonic Wars at the beginning of the 19th century, the Admiralty selected Dover as the most suitable location of a harbour of refuge for the fleet between
2120-472: The north side of the river, the main part (205 hectares or 510 acres) of the port lies at the end of East Wall and North Wall , from Alexandra Quay. The element of the port on the south side of the river is much smaller (51 hectares or 130 acres) and lies at the beginning of the Poolbeg peninsula . The port is served by road, with a direct connection from the Dublin Port Tunnel to the northern part (and so
2173-649: The port is freight handling, with a wide range of vessels, from large container carriers to small diesel lighters, visiting daily. Roll-on/roll-off passenger ferry services run regularly across the Irish Sea to Holyhead in Wales and in the summer months and at Christmas to Douglas, Isle of Man . Services also go to Cherbourg , France. The largest car ferry in the world, the Irish Ferries ship MV Ulysses (2000) which can carry up to 2000 passengers, runs on
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2226-566: The port, including 54 cruise liners carrying 54,000 visitors. In April 2010, the company announced its "busiest week ever", following restrictions placed on European airspace because of the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland . Some 72,118 passengers were reported to have travelled through the ferry terminals during the week of 15–21 April that year, and that week saw the culmination of increased trade in Dublin Port, as
2279-714: The seaward facing exterior. Further construction from 1897 onwards established the Eastern Arm of the current harbour, the Southern Breakwater and a further extension of the Admiralty Pier. During the First World War , a former cargo ship, the Spanish Prince , was deliberately sunk by the Admiralty close to the entrance to Dover Harbour to prevent German U-Boats from firing torpedoes into
2332-440: The single ship of SpeedFerries , SpeedOne , with up to five services daily to Boulogne-sur-Mer . The hoverport has now been demolished and redeveloped as a cargo handling facility. The harbour is divided into two main sections, the Eastern Docks and the Western Docks, about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) apart. Cross channel ferry services to France operate from the seven twin-level ferry berths and associated departure buildings of
2385-490: The trailers. Dublin Port is also increasingly a docking point for cruise liners. Celebrity Eclipse began to home port in Dublin on 29 April 2018, and the port authorities reported 158 cruise ship visits in 2019. A temporary facility, Terminal 7, was created between Promenade and Tolka Quay Road at Branch Road; entered from Promenade Road, this allows cruise guests to check-in and leave baggage. A shuttle service transports guests to Ocean Pier 33. A new baggage claim facility
2438-502: The two ports, with two more ships due to enter service – the MS Isle of Innisfree (1991, ex- Calais Seaways ) in December 2021, and MS Isle of Inisheer (ex- "Ciudad de Mahón ) expected in Q1 2022 after rebranding and refurbishing work. In 2001, the newly completed vessel Ulysses was awarded the title 'Most Significant Newbuild – Ferry' by Lloyds List Cruise & Ferry. In 2019,
2491-515: The use of sluices and the development of an enclosed pool of water known as the Great Pent, by means of which the harbour could be periodically scoured. The Great Pent was formed by the construction of a cross wall across the existing natural shingle lagoon at the mouth of the River Dour: the work was largely undertaken by labourers from Romney Marsh , using skills honed in the construction of seawalls . The project has been described as "one of
2544-437: Was added to Ocean Pier 33 for guests to use when disembarking. The port has three lighthouses in the mouth of the Liffey, multiple other aids to navigation and operates a pilot service. There are eleven passenger, freight and border inspection terminals at Dublin Port, serving several operators. Within the main port enclave, on the north side of the river, are a power generating station (gas-fired), several oil terminals and
2597-477: Was an ageing fleet. Over the following decade, a programme of fleet renewal was undertaken involving investment of €500 million to create what was described as the most modern ferry fleet in western Europe. New vessels were built such as Ulysses , Isle of Innisfree (now on charter in New Zealand as Kaitaki ), Isle of Inishmore and a fast ferry Jonathan Swift , all for service on its Ireland–UK routes. As
2650-523: Was announced with support from the port company. A number of workers have died whilst working at Dublin port, including James Byrne (June 2018), Dennis Gomez (November 2018) and Matthew Grimes (May 2021). Port of Dover The Port of Dover is a cross-channel ferry, cruise terminal, maritime cargo and marina facility situated in Dover , Kent , south-east England . It is the nearest English port to France, at just 34 kilometres (21 mi) away, and
2703-624: Was built around the town. Although few concerted attempts to manage the shingle deposits blocking the harbour entrance were made during the late Middle Ages, a short pier and two defensive towers were constructed at the port in years immediately prior to Henry VIII 's departure to the royal summit known as the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520. In the 1580s, under the direction of Thomas Digges and championed by Sir Walter Raleigh , early port infrastructure work commenced to address siltation through
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#17328010697182756-454: Was cheaper than that of its rivals, such as P&O Ferries , Stena Line and DFDS , thereby undercutting their prices. Its competitive practice, as well as the use of security personnel to carry out the replacement of its crewmembers, were described by many in the industry as a "blueprint" for P&O's 2022 sacking of hundreds of its seafarers. As part of its offer to buy B&I Line, management at ICG undertook to invest in replacing what
2809-589: Was handled and there were 7,898 ship movements of which 158 were cruise ships. The medieval port of Dublin was located on the south bank of the Liffey near Christ Church Cathedral , a few kilometres upstream from its current location. On 17 September 1707, Thomas Burgh , the Surveyor General of Ireland , read a paper to the Dublin Society entitled 'Some Thoughts for the Improveing
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