Dieppe (France)

Dieppe is an English Channel ferry port and town in Normandy's Seine-Maritime department (northern France), with a population of around 35,000. The port is located at the mouth of the Arques River.

The town is linked via railway (train service by SNCF) with regularly scheduled services to Rouen and Paris. As ferry port, Dieppe serves direct English Channel crossings to the UK. Two daily crossings are operated by DFDS SEAWAYS with 2 ships (Cote DAlbatre, Seven Sisters) connecting to Port Newhaven (East Sussex, England). Travel time Newhaven-Dieppe is 4 hours. The twice-daily service is under French government-subsidized concession.

Since 2007, Port Dieppe's management is under SMPD ("Channel Port of Dieppe") - a joint association of Haute-Normandie Region, Seine-Maritime Departement, Greater Dieppe-Maritime and Dieppe City, with participation in project investments, respectively, 73%, 15%, 8%, and 4%.

Port's four principal activities are Cross-Channel ferry shipping, commerce, commercial fishing, and leisure boating. Since 2007, SMPD uses public investment (EUR 54 million "Multi-Annual Investment Programme" 2007-2014) as leverage for these port activities. By this program were renovated all harbor installations and the port infrastructure. Over 1/3 (35%) of the money was allocated to commerce and ferry trade, 29% to port infrastructure, 20% to commercial fishing, and 16% to leisure boating.

The Port's infrastructure and facilities include fishing and marina shipyards, a dry port (former drydock), commercial basin quays (with storage facilities), yacht marinas. A new development project (EUR 60 million, 2015-2020) will modernize port’s infrastructure, all facilities (including overhauling Ango Basin, refitting ferries gateway, quays-piers strengthening), build new fuelling base for commercial fishing boats.

There is planned construction of offshore wind farms. Also planned are land developments (around the dry port) for cruise ship tourism services, purchasing a new mobile gantry crane, and replacement of Colbert Bridge.