Car deliveries at Ramsgate Port resumed yesterday (February 12) with 930 new electric hybrid vehicles unloaded from carrier Autoprestige.
The vessel carrier, which had travelled from Zeebrugge, docked at 10.15am. Delivery had been due on Thursday but was held up due to weather conditions.
The ad hoc deliveries are through transport and logistics company GEFCO UK Ltd, which previously had a deal with Thanet council for use of the port between January 2016-January 2017.
This resumed in 2019 with GEFCO importing new Peugeot and Citroen cars from the Continent to Ramsgate. These vehicles were bound for the UK market and were stored at Ramsgate prior to onward transport to customers.
Agency workers from HRGO unload the vehicles.
The deliveries provide income to the port which has been in deficit for many years. In the 2019/20 financial year there was £3.3million expenditure on the port, income of £1.5million, equalling a deficit of £1.8 million, according to Thanet council’s statement of accounts. By contrast the harbour made a small profit of £285,000.
A source says GEFCO is expecting to ship more cars to Ramsgate due to a backlog of vehicles from France caused by covid and Brexit.
GEFCO are the handling agents based in UK.
Operations are covid secure with drivers supplied with sanitiser and masks. There is currently no minibus transport for workers who instead need to walk back and forth to the ship.
Another shipment Has been earmarked for arrival next week.
Good to see the port being used for its proper purpose.
Shame we’re importing cars rather than building them here.
Are these cars destined for sale in Britain or are they accessing storage space until they retrieve them again to sell elsewhere.
“These vehicles were bound for the UK market and were stored at Ramsgate prior to onward transport to customers.”
Britain no longer owns a mass car manufacturer. They were sold to BMW, Tata andPeugeot or just went bust. Johnson announced something was coming to Bridgend……. but it was just pie in the sky speculation.
Fantastic news to see Port Ramsgate getting this work again !
With duty free shopping back again perhaps we,re see a ferry service again !
Would love to see a walk-on/off passenger ferry (I never used the old car ferry as I don’t drive!).
How lovely the port is being used and things are looking up, let hope it continues.
The Day a passenger ferry starts at ramsgate again will be 1st on it .
But it will never happen the skywalk is being dismantled and berths 1&2 unused in years .
TDC let the port slip in to disrepair .
I think we have more chance of winning lotto than tdc letting a ferry service start .
Typical TDC.
Great news I worked for GEFCO in sandwich in the 1980’s it was a great company
needs a lot more to happen like this all that needs to happen no is for the live animal exports to be stopped from the port should not be a problem now the E U no longer tell us what we can and can’t do
should read now is the time for live animal exports to be stooped from the port it’s a totally barbaric practice.