The Port of Dover Cargo Terminal has received its last timber vessel call for the season, continuing to support its partnership with Euroforest, the UK’s largest independent provider of timber harvesting.
The timber is largely comprised of natural wind blow, from Storm Arwen in 2021, and is transported from Aberdeen via coaster vessel to the Port of Dover where it arrives two days later.
Each 2,500-tonne shipment removes the need for long-distance haulage, which saves the equivalent of 57,000 miles, offering vast carbon savings in keeping with the Port of Dover Cargo Terminal’s green eco-lens credentials using solar power, HVO fuelled vehicles and a fleet of EV equipment. The deliveries for 2024 demonstrate an increase of 38%, over the 2023 period.
The timber carried by the monthly service is collected and transported to Kent Renewable Energy Ltd at Discovery Park, 13 miles from the Port of Dover, in Sandwich.
Euroforest began a monthly vessel call into the Port of Dover last year, boasting huge carbon savings and securing rapid transit to the primary customer. The partnership continues to strengthen the coastal shipping links at the Port and the sustainability credentials of domestic shipping. The port offers multiple berthing options and a wealth of in-house expertise, including Port of Dover Harbour Masters, Pilots and Tugs that facilitate exceptional speed to berth, accessibility and a ‘one family’ port approach.
KRE is a combined heat and power plant that opened in 2018 and generates over 27MW of green energy every year — enough to supply 50,000 homes and save over 100,000 tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of one million flight tickets to Paris.
Emma Whelan, Business Development Manager at the Port of Dover, said: “I am delighted that Euroforest and The Port of Dover Cargo Ltd has forged such a successful partnership, feeding into the local green economy, and playing our part in driving down CO2 emissions, providing economy-of-scale answers, and reasserting our ability to continuously deliver customer-centric solutions. I look forward to welcoming Euroforest back later in the year and building on the excellent relationship we have enjoyed to date.”
Ben Manterfield, General Manager for Euroforest, said: “We are proud of the development of this productive partnership with the Port of Dover’s Cargo business and their support in making this end-to-end sustainable service a great success.
With much of the material transported being from material available following the natural wind blow from Storm Arwen in November 2021, the environmental credentials of this transit are incredibly strong. From our suppliers in Aberdeenshire to Sandwich in Kent, with minimal road miles attached, Euroforest is delighted to support the UK renewable energy market via this greener mode of transport to power stations in the South.”
The Port of Dover is the busiest international ferry port in the UK, with two million cars and 11 million passengers passing through the Port every year. Dover also processes 2.4 million trucks per year, more than all other UK ports. In total, the Port of Dover deals with £144bn of trade in goods each year, and 33% of the UK’s trade with the EU, supporting businesses across the nation.
With a cargo business handling fresh produce, containers, project cargo, general cargo, grain and Ro-Ro traffic operating from a state-of-the-art terminal next to the world’s busiest shipping lane and on the quickest sea route to Europe, Dover is building for the future.
The Port of Dover holds ambitious net zero targets, placing it at the vanguard of decarbonization within the UK ports industry. The Port’s focus on sustainability is driving it forward, enabling the team to keep the Port of Dover at the heart of international trade and tourism, and contributing value as a key gateway, employer, business and community partner.