Initiated in 2002 by the Chamber of Commerce and Industrie of Calais, then shareholder of the Port and strongly supported by the Hauts-de-France Region, Calais Port 2015 has entered today into its implementation phase. The largest maritime construction site among the priority infrastructures of the European Union, this project will enable the Port of Calais to double its current capacity. Conceived to anticipate and to adapt to the projected evolution of maritime traffic, this new infrastructure will also prepare the Port of Calais for the logistical and industrial needs of the coming decades.

This laying of the first stone of Calais Port 2015 is the symbol of a visionary project, which will create an economic momentum for the Hauts-de-France Region with an investment of over €863 million and the creation of 2,000 direct and indirect jobs.

On this occasion and to officially launch the site, the main partners of the project signed a symbolic document, which was then sealed inside a concrete X-bloc, an emblematic element of the construction site, used mainly for the construction of the future dike.

Building today the Channel port of tomorrow

French flagship port, largest continental port in Europe for passenger transport, fourth port for French goods but also the second largest Roll on-Roll off port of Europe, the port of Calais welcomes each year 10 million passengers, 2 million heavy goods vehicles and 41.5 million tonnes of cargo. It should be able to absorb an expected growth of Channel traffic: that is the challenge that Calais Port 2015 will meet.

Expected to take six years, the construction of Calais Port 2015 will enable the port of Calais to adapt to future challenges and to strengthen its leadership position, by creating in particular a new 90-hectare basin and iconic dike of over three kilometres. In a first phase, three new ferry terminals will be created as well as a Roll on - Roll off loading station, which will be commissioned in 2021. The new equipment, scalable depending on new activities, will enable the port of Calais to remain at the forefront of global standards. This work is carried out by a consortium made up of specialised entities of the Bouygues group, Spie Batignolles and Jan de Nul.

Sustainability issues integrated into the project from its conception

Eco-designed, Calais Port 2015 meets the commitments made by the Hauts-de-France Region to preserve flora and fauna following the public inquiry and in agreement with the National Council for the Protection of Nature. In particular, the schedule was notably implemented specifically to avoid disturbing interventions during periods of breeding and migration as well as the preservation of areas suitable for bird-nesting.

A public-private funding of €863 million

The project is sponsored in the amount of € 863 million by the Société des Ports du Détroit, owned by the French long-term investment fund Meridiam (40%), the Caisse des Dépôts (40%), the local and regional chambers of commerce (19%) as well as the Port of Dunkirk (1%). In addition to the shareholders who bring €89 million in equity and quasi-equity, three major financial partners
are involved in this project: AllianzGI (which subscribed on behalf of the Allianz Group and third-party investors upon a bond issuance of €504 million), the European Investment Bank and Crédit Agricole Corporate Investment. Public funds amount meanwhile to €270 million, fully pre-financed by the Hauts-de-France Region (including €98.6 million from the European Union).

With an investment of €863 million, this project is one of major French investment projects and will generate significant economic benefits for the entire territory of the Opal Coast and its local communities.