DUNKERQUE-PORT: June 27, 2019. The Port of Dunkerque has completed the extension of its Quai de Flandres container terminal to accommodate two Ultra Large Containerships simultaneously.

The quayside has been extended to 1,785 metres, of which nearly 1,000 metres has been dredged to a depth of over 17 metres, to berth in all tidal conditions 400-metre containerships such as the CMA CGM Antoine Saint Exupery, the largest container ship in the world flying the French flag.

The layout and installation work included earthworks of nearly 650,000 metres, 10,000 tons of steel and 15,000 cubic meters of concrete, the dredging of several million cubic metres of sand and the covering of 3.5 hectares of quayside.

The worksite was subject to environmental considerations including protecting rare species such as the Natterjack Toad. The port has also created 35 hectares of wetlands and dunes to compensate for the terminal extension.

"Since arriving at the Terminal de Flandres, the CMA CGM Group has always supported the development of the Dunkerque port area and has been deeply involved in it,” commented Christine Cabau-Woehrel, EVP in charge of assets for the CMA CGM Group. “The extension of the Quai de Flandres and the arrival of new gantries next year will strengthen the competitiveness of the Terminal de Flandres and, more generally, enhance the vitality of the port of Dunkerque."

Terminal de Flandres, which is 91 percent owned by Terminal Link, a subsidiary of the CMA CGM Group, and 9.0 percent by Dunkerque-Port, is equipped with six gantry cranes and 700 reefer plugs, with a draught ranging from 13.50 metres to 17.50 metres for a total capacity of one million TEUs. The terminal currently berths five short sea services, two feeder services and four weekly transoceanic services.

Pictured attending the opening was Eric Etienne, Sub Prefect for Dunkerque; Patrice Vergriete, mayor of Dunkerque and president of the Urban Community; Christine Cabau-Woehrel, EVP in charge of assets for the CMA CGM Group; Stéphane Raison, president of the Executive Board of Dunkerque-Port; Emmanuelle Verger, chair of the Supervisory Board of Dunkerque-Port; and Jingtao Bai, China Merchant Port Group CEO.