David Dingle, head of maritime business association Maritime UK has called on the UK government to prepare for an orderly transition period when it exits the EU. “Our message is: please, government, can you do this as quickly as possible because if there is no transition period the industry as a whole will be in trouble”, adding that Maritime UK’s biggest concerns were Dover and Holyhead. “There will be new customs requirements that could cause particular challenges for roll-on roll-off ferry ports which handle tens of thousands of [trucks] travelling between the UK and the EU each day”.
Zeebrugge, Rotterdam and Calais are hiring more customs officials and produce inspectors. Dingle said that the UK government was not treating the matter with the same level of urgency.