Ramsgate

Ramsgate and the shipping industry

The port of Ramsgate is situated in the South East corner of England. It is ideally located for shipping via both the English Channel and the North Sea. Although Ramsgate harbour is better known for its fishing and yachting facilities, it has an important cargo terminal also. Cargo handled by the port of Ramsgate in 2010 totalled 1.7 million tonnes. With the Medway ports and Dover in close proximity, the fact that Ramsgate handled this much traffic, shows its importance.

Shipping containers are dispatched from Ramsgate, throughout Europe, and also within the UK. Due to the location of Ramsgate at the South Eastern tip of the country, it can often be easier and quicker to ferry containers around the coast to their destination.

Container transport links from Ramsgate are also very good. There is a dedicated road leading to and from the port that takes cargo out to the M2 motorway just outside Ramsgate, and once containers are in transit on the motorway they are only 60 miles from the M25 London orbital motorway, and 76 miles from the centre of London itself. London Manston airport is also only 5 miles from the port.

Again due to the ports location, being so close to mainland Europe (35 miles from the French coast), it has been very accessible throughout history. It was one of the main embarkation harbours during the Napoleonic wars, and more recently, thousands upon thousands of soldiers disembarked at Ramsgate after escaping from the beaches of Dunkirk in WWII. One of the many boats used during that evacuation is still in the harbour today.

Ramsgate harbour is also the only harbour in the UK that has the right to call itself royal. King George IV bestowed this upon them after using the harbour in 1821. A royal Harbour and a very efficient port only 35 miles from France makes Ramsgate an altogether excellent destination for shipping, whether it is for leisure or industry, yachting or shipping containers. Ramsgate has the facilities.