As the 29th of March approaches, the harbors of the Channel and the North Sea are preparing for the worst in terms of customs controls and traffic evolution.
In this climate of uncertainty, Brittany has mobilized 1.8 million euros [2 million USD] to finance temporary buildings in the harbors of Saint-Malo (Ille-et-Vilaine) and Roscoff (Finistère) in case of a harsh Brexit, without agreement. Booths and refrigerated containers will be set up to accommodate the merchandise which will be controlled by the new veterinary and customs inspectors.
With no answers on the question of customs tax and the control of British goods, the harbor authorities are in a fog. “We have absolutely no clue. We cannot anticipate. The situation is very uncomfortable,” declared Pierre Karleskind, vice president of the Brittany region for harbor infrastructures.
The harbor of Boulogne-Calais invested 6 million euros [6.8 million USD] to organize customs and veterinary controls. In Dunkirk, a secure three-lane corridor leading to the terminal is being built to anticipate the lines of trucks. If traffic flow remains a problem, more construction will be happening post-Brexit, estimated for now at 25 million euros [28.3 million USD].
“95% of the cross-channel traffic currently takes place via Calais or Dunkirk. The slightest change can cause serious problems: automatically, traffic will be jammed between Calais and Dover,” explains Jean-Marc Roué, president of Brittany Ferries. In order to avoid disruption, the company will increase by 50% its cargo capacity on three of the lines leaving from Roscoff, Cherbourg (Manche) and Le Havre (Seine-Maritime), at the request of the British government.
The Normandy region is concerned that the trucks from and to Ireland, which usually go through Calais and the United Kingdom, will now disembark in Cherbourg in order to avoid the formalities associated with an exit from the single European market.
Part of the British traffic could also be rerouted to the harbors of Belgium, the Netherlands, Normandy or Brittany if passing through Calais is slowed down by customs controls.
Finally, the question of human resources (in terms of customs, police and veterinary staff) also remains a source of concern.
boursorama.com
