Following industrial action that resulted in the shut down of the Port of Calais, delays are being experienced on European road freight traffic moving between Dover and the French port.

The 24 hour strike began at 8am yesterday (Thursday 24th) and with the port closed, both ferry and rail operations were suspended. The closure has resulted in backlogs and earlier today it was reported that queues at Calais were up to 40km long.

To prevent gridlock on Kent’s M20 motorway, Operation Stack was immediately brought into effect during the strike and eventually lifted at 3am this morning.

Under the measure, freight is separated into two queues on either side of the coast-bound carriageway between Junctions 8 and 9. One lane is used for traffic heading to the Eurotunnel terminal and one lane is for port traffic. The middle lanes are kept clear for emergency vehicles and non-freight traffic is diverted off the motorway.

Where possible, Westbound have used alternative routes, but there is the possibility of delays on all routes. If you are concerned about any shipments you have enroute then please contact Lauren in our European team using lauren.obrien@westboundglobal.com

At Westbound Logistics we pride ourselves in offering personalised and tailored logistics solutions. To find out more please call 01375 800800​ oemail info@westboundglobal.com.