The sea port of Dunkerque has its origins in a first port dedicated to the herring fishery built in the 11th century. It was not until 1350 that commercial traffic with England and Holland was initiated.
Port infrastructures destroyed following the wars waged during the reign of Louis XIV, the quays and basins are restored under Louis XV but it is only at the beginning of the nineteenth century that a real commercial traffic resumed. That is doped in 1848 with the arrival of the railway and in 1880, a new trading basin is inaugurated.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Dunkerque is the third largest French port in terms of freight, and imports or exports textiles, ores, wood or oil.
In 1958, the growth of the steel industry led the government to build a steel plant adjacent to the port, which was given a new basin of 100 hectares connected by a lock that accommodates boats of 55,000 tons.
To date, the seaport of Dunkerque is the first in France in terms of the import of ores and coal and it is also the first of the country for the fruit traffic. It records an average of 45 million tons of goods passing through each year.
As for goods, regular lines connect it to all continents.
As for fishing, on the other hand, only a few craftsmen remain in Dunkerque, most of the activity having been transferred to Boulogne.
All information on commercial activity (freight) on +33 3 28 28 78 78.
Port tours dedicated to the general public are organized regularly. Information on +33 3 28 26 27 27.
In terms of passenger traffic, ferries connect Dunkerque to Great Britain. Each day are scheduled 12 starts. Information on +33 3 28 29 95 35.
Finally, although their access requires great vigilance because of the importance of commercial traffic, three sites are dedicated to boating totaling 655 berths: the marina of Grand Large, the marina of the Bassin du Commerce and the new marina of the Marine Basin. Near the city center, equipped with the necessary comfort equipment (water, electricity, sanitary), all three are able to accommodate visitors boats. Information at the port office on +33 (0) 3 28 63 23 00 or +33 (0) 3 28 24 58 80 or from the Yacht-Club of the North Sea which manages 50 places dedicated to visitors on +33 3 28 66 79 90.
