The Port of Poole is a cross channel port on

Poole Harbour Poole Harbour is a large natural harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the town of Poole on its shores. The harbour is a drowned valley (ria) formed at the end of the last ice age and is the estuary of several rivers, the largest being t ...

in Poole,

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

South West England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities ...

. Along with Weymouth Harbour, Poole has the other major

Channel Port The Channel Ports are seaports in southern England and the facing continent, which allow for short crossings of the English Channel. There is no formal definition, but there is a general understanding of the term. Some ferry companies divide their ...

History

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the port was used in the

Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...

. In 2017, a D-Day veteran and the last known Mark 4

landing craft tank The Landing Craft, Tank (LCT) (or Tank Landing Craft TLC) was an amphibious assault craft for landing tanks on beachheads. They were initially developed by the Royal Navy and later by the United States Navy during World War II in a series of ver ...

, '' LCT 728'', was rediscovered rotting in

at the Port alongside another unknown Mark 3, possibly ''

LCT(4) 510 LCT may refer to: Science Biology *Lysosomal cystine transporter family *Long-chain triglyceride *LCT gene, a gene that encodes the enzyme lactase Chemistry * Lower consolute temperature, the critical temperature below which the components of a m ...

''. They were used as floating barges in the 1950s. In November 2020, the Port set up a

flu vaccination Influenza vaccines, also known as flu shots, are vaccines that protect against infection by influenza viruses. New versions of the vaccines are developed twice a year, as the influenza virus rapidly changes. While their effectiveness varies fr ...

service and also received £86,000 for the Brexit transition period. In December 2020, it was reported by

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

that Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council is preparing a bid for free Port status post

Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC ...

. The bid for becoming a special economic zone includes

Bournemouth Airport Bournemouth Airport (previously known as Hurn Airport and Bournemouth International Airport) is an airport located north-northeast of Bournemouth, in southern England. The site opened as RAF Hurn in 1941, but was transferred to civil contr ...

. In April 2021, the port set up equipment at the cruise terminal to deal with the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

Economy

KASTOR (IMO- 9390094) cargo ship Poole harbour wharf May 2019

The Port of Poole is a major destination the cruising, as well as for

international trade International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (see: World economy) In most countries, such trade represents a significant ...

for imports and exports of cargo. A

fishing industry The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products. It is defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization as including ...

is also present.

Immigration

It has been reported that the Port of Poole is a target for Illegal immigration to the United Kingdom. In 2017, 18 migrants were found including children in a lorry. The local MP for Poole

Robert Syms The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

has called on the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

and the

Minister of State for Immigration The minister of state for immigration is a minister of state in the Home Office of the Government of the United Kingdom. From June 2017 to July 2019 and since October 2022, the minister has attended cabinet meetings. The role was known as Parl ...

to provide more resources to deal with the issue. The Port has a border control post.

Services

The Port is used by

Brittany Ferries Brittany Ferries is the trading name of the French shipping company, BAI Bretagne Angleterre Irlande S.A. founded in 1973 by Alexis Gourvennec, that operates a fleet of ferries and cruiseferries between France and the United Kingdom, Ireland, a ...

. and

Condor Ferries Condor Ferries is an operator of passenger and freight ferry services between The United Kingdom, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Bailiwick of Jersey and France. Corporate history Condor Ferries established the first high-speed car ferry service to ...

. The ferry crossing to Cherbourg in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

is the shortest crossing of Brittany Ferries. In the Summer of 2020, the Cherbourg services were cancelled due to the

. Poole Port also has a

Border Force Border Force (BF) is a law-enforcement command within the Home Office, responsible for frontline border control operations at air, sea and rail ports in the United Kingdom. The force was part of the now defunct UK Border Agency from its estab ...

Post.

Transportation

The Port of Poole uses Optare MetroRiders for passengers commuting.

References

External links

Official website
Juxtaposed border controls Poole Harbour Buildings and structures in Poole Ports and harbours of England Ports and harbours of the English Channel {{Port-stub