Interesting that the number of vessels entering port has reduced by 5,000 movements, that equates to three or four ferries entering five times a day. Presumably reflects the massive increase in ferry size with the introduction of such as the Maersk D's and the Berlioz/Rodin vis a vis the earlier generation such as the Cambria/Manet etc. Whatever, there is major congestion at the Eastern Entrance at different times of the day as ferries wait for their turn to enter. The limiting factor is that they all need to swing in the same bit of water off the end of the piers. This is why DHB wants to build Terminal 2 in the Western Docks although there must be a big question mark over whether this will ever happen now.
The car figure is fairly irrelevant, it is freight that matters. The Norman Spirit is the old Aquitaine, ex Prins Filip, and carries a mix of trucks and cars. LD will be hoping that it is mostly freight as that is what pays the bills, her capacity is 110 trucks. They expect to carry 120,000 trucks and 133,000 cars in the first year. As each truck takes the space of three cars, the ferry should be about three quarters full of trucks and one quarter cars.
I imagine most of this will be taken from competitors as Boulogne would seem too close to Calais to generate new traffic. The single daily run to Dieppe envisaged for the New Year may well generate new traffic. If this comes off, it will be conducted by the Cote d'Albatre, one of the Transmanche Newhaven-Dieppe ferries. She conducted berthing trials on the Eastern Arm a few months ago.
Were car figures to rise, it would not seem to be of much value to Dover. They all drive straight past all the derelict and crumbling buildings direct to the docks, who wouldn't? A downmarket supermarket (super downmarket?) is hardly likely to entice them to tarry a while, if indeed it ever comes to fruition.
Size comparison Maersk Delft and SeaFrance Manet:
http://shipsintheportofdover.fotopic.net/c1416310.html
Pride of Aquitaine (Norman Spirit) when last in Dover:
http://shipsintheportofdover.fotopic.net/c1059794.html
Cote d'Albatre conducting berthing trials on ED1 on the Eastern Arm:
http://shipsintheportofdover.fotopic.net/c1470384.html
Pierre Gehanne (chairman of LD lines) blog - surprisingly informative, not something Dovorians are used to!
http://ldlines.com/blog/