As the Tour de France Official Grand Depart Transport Partner, Dover-Calais ferry operator SeaFrance was faced with the challenge of carrying the diverse support traffic associated with the Tour, including publicity floats, press vehicles, the French gendarmerie, and much more. Altogether on Sunday 8 July, SeaFrance carried 1,500 Tour de France vehicles and some 3,000 passengers. Six SeaFrance ferries carried out 30 crossings between midday and midnight on that day, all dedicated to Tour de France traffic.

 SeaFrance president Eudes Riblier said, ‘Our teams pulled all the stops out and the result was a credit to the company. During Sunday afternoon, the fleet achieved a 100% capacity on the vehicle decks, and the catering staff served over 2,600 meals on board. SeaFrance has proved that it is more than capable of providing an excellent logistical service to a top level sporting event, and has put the company in a very strong position to support the 2012 London Olympic Games.’

 SeaFrance is the only French ferry company on the shortsea route. Last year the company carried a total of 3.5 million passengers, 650,000 cars and 765,000 trucks.