Officials at the port of Calais, the main ferry crossing point between England and France, said Thursday they are looking forward to life after Brexit with "serenity", confident of having made all the necessary preparations.

The first trucks to cross over under the new procedures and arriving by ferry are expected in Calais on Friday, hours after the first arrivals overnight via the Channel Tunnel
The first trucks to cross over under the new procedures and arriving by ferry are expected in Calais on Friday, hours after the first arrivals overnight via the Channel Tunnel AFP / FRANCOIS LO PRESTI

"We really think we have planned everything: we've done dry runs, created parking areas, invested 13 million euros ($15.6 million), worked with customs, (and set up) a smart border," port president Jean-Marc Puissesseau told AFP.

"We regret Brexit, but we don't fear it... We are serene because for three years now we have been able to perfect everything we've prepared" for Britain's exodus from the European Union, Puissesseau said.

Some 70 percent of trade between Britain and the EU goes through Calais and Dunkirk, with around 12,000 trucks transiting each day
Some 70 percent of trade between Britain and the EU goes through Calais and Dunkirk, with around 12,000 trucks transiting each day AFP / PHILIPPE HUGUEN

"If every haulier respects the customs declarations, there will be no reason for this to go badly," he said.

The first trucks to cross over from southern England under the new procedures and arriving by ferry are expected in Calais on Friday, hours after the first arrivals overnight via the Channel Tunnel.

The CEO of the Ports of Calais Boulogne-sur-Mer, Jean-Marc Puissesseau, says he has been preparing for Brexit since March 2019 with the French customs, and hopes that "trucks will continue (...) to come to Calais, and will also return via the Port of Cala
The CEO of the Ports of Calais Boulogne-sur-Mer, Jean-Marc Puissesseau, says he has been preparing for Brexit since March 2019 with the French customs, and hopes that "trucks will continue (...) to come to Calais, and will also return via the Port of Calais", a few hours before the United Kingdom's exit from the EU single market and customs union at 2300 GMT. AFPTV / Pierre BEAUVILLAIN

France's new high-tech "smart border" is designed to keep goods moving smoothly along the world's busiest shipping route.

Hauliers will be subjected to a risk analysis on the basis of declarations made online, and upon their arrival in Calais customs will give them either a green light waving them through or an orange light to stop them.

Asked about the risk of new tailbacks after thousands of trucks were blocked on the motorway in mid-December, Puissesseau said there would be "no bottlenecks in January".

"That will allow us to quietly fine-tune everything we have prepared... and correct any details we haven't anticipated."

Some 70 percent of trade between Britain and the EU goes through Calais and Dunkirk, with around 12,000 trucks transiting each day.

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