Dover Harbour Board (DHB) said Barco de Vapor, which currently operates from Ramsgate in Kent, had applied to berth the MV Joline from the Eastern Docks.
He also argued that a new AHLVA inspection policy was unlawfully allowing the agency to "evade its obligations" to ensure proper inspections were carried out before consignments of sheep were shipped to Calais aboard the transport boat MV Joline.