Port of Dover turns to AI to cope with ‘exceptional” summer demand

In partnership with Police aux Frontieres, Border Force, ferry firms DFDS, P&O Ferries and Irish Ferries, the port has published its operational plan to navigate through the “demanding summer period”. 

The Olympics run from 26 July to 11 August, while the Paralympic Games will take place between 28 August and 8 September. 

The port is keen to avoid a repeat of the operational issues that have blighted previous peak travel periods in recent years. 

As recently as the late May Bank Holiday this year, holidaymakers missed ferries amid major tailbacks into Dover due to IT problems at French passport control. 

The port will work closely with ferry operations to spread the demand across peak times; introduce a new freight permit system on surrounding roads; install additional border control infrastructure; provide regular operational updates on Twitter/X and its website; and provide additional facilities, including pet welfare. 

In addition, the Port of Dover has invested in new AI technology that can predict future traffic in 15-minute intervals two-weeks in advance. 

The platform has been operating at more than 95% accuracy and enables the resources to be allocated accordingly, the port added. 

Doug Bannister, Port of Dover chief executive, said: “Summers are always exceptionally busy periods for airports and ports alike as families set off on their holidays.

“Much like at airports, where processing time can be around two hours, the Port of Dover will see processing times that mirror this as we are the popular port of choice, with a quick route to continent.

“Our current modelling indicates that processing times inside the port will be up to two hours during the peak hours of 6am to 1pm on Fridays, through to Sundays every weekend of the summer holidays, due to the extreme popularity of these days.”