Container handling in the Port of Dunkirk takes place mainly at the Flanders Terminal. The activity continues to grow steadily, with numbers increasing from 200,000 TEU in 2010 to 375,000 TEU in 2017.
In February 2017, to maintain this development and ensure that the world's largest container carriers can be berthed in all sea conditions, the Port of Dunkirk, as Project Owner, launched the building of the Flanders Terminal Extension.
This extension will enable the container terminal operator, as of 2019, to berth two new-generation megamax container carriers simultaneously.
On completion of the works, scheduled for the end of 2018, the Flanders Terminal quay will have a total length of 1,800 m, with a draught of 16.5 m under all tidal conditions, and provide two berths.
This major undertaking stands as a pioneering project due to the size of the earthworks, the volume of material dredged and the techniques used to build the future quays.
The project is also outstanding in environmental terms through the specific measures carried out continuously on site, as well as socially through the 10,000 hours of inclusion, integral to the civil engineering contract, reserved for people experiencing particular difficulties in finding work.
These investment works form part of the strategy for reconquering the hinterland of the Hauts-de-France Region.