Maritime·Port of Calais Extension and Sea Defence·—·Port of Calais Extension and Sea Defence

Port of Calais Extension and Sea Defence

3.3km seawall · 100-year design life · €863m total

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Key insight

Treating climate resilience as a core design requirement from the outset — not as an add-on — allowed the seawall to be cost-effectively integrated into a wider port upgrade.

Transferability to UK: HighDirectly applicable to UK ports facing sea level rise risk.

Doubled port capacity while building a 3.3km seawall designed for 100-year service life, explicitly accounting for sea level rise and climate change projections in all structural specifications.

Climate drivers

Sea level riseStorms and high winds

Impacts

→Storm surge→Coastal flooding→Coastal erosion

Adaptation measures

  • 3.3km sea wall
  • Land reclamation
  • Reinforced retaining walls
  • 100-year design life specification

Assets affected

Port structuresTerminalRetaining walls

Investment

€863m total project

Band: £100m+

Delivery period

—

  • Calais is the leading passenger port in continental Europe and the 4th largest freight port in France, with an expected growth of 40% by 2030. To meet the increased demand for port capacity and maintain climate resilience to sea level rise, the Port of Calais required expansion and a new sea wall.
  • The project doubled the total area of the port, with the construction of 65 new hectares of platforms, including 45 hectares reclaimed from the sea. This represents a strong step toward preventing flooding and storm surge impacts on the port, as reclaimed area is capable of blocking water from moving further inland, reducing the impact on the port structures.
  • The project included the creation of a new 3.3 km-long seawall and a 100-hectare port basin, dug to accommodate larger ships. In addition, a new 44-hectare terminal was built through the re-use of excavated land.

Ref: ID_01 · Port of Calais Extension and Sea Defence · Curated & verified by HIVE

Transferability to UK: High

Directly applicable to UK ports facing sea level rise risk. Humber Ports specifically identified as having medium sea level rise risk.

UK contexts

Humber PortsPort of DoverThames Estuary infrastructureEast coast ports

Applicable to UK coastal

Transfer to other sectors (AI)