A shipping company that sparked truckers’ anger by boosting charges as a consequence of Holyhead’s closure began adding the extra costs at the start of this month, it has emerged.
Luxembourg-based shipping group CLDN has told hauliers it is adding surcharges of twice the normal booking rate for any loads above a company’s “usual allocations”, prompting complaints from hauliers.
The company says the charge for extra loads is a “mechanism to try and prioritise urgent loads due to issues at Holyhead”.
An email to one Irish haulier, who does not want to be named, shows that CLDN began adding the charges on January 1st.
The Irish company asked on Tuesday, January 7th for one extra space on either of the company’s two sailings from Dublin to Liverpool on Wednesday, January 8th.
CLDN staff responded that: “Any extra space on the sailing is going on double price since 01.01.25.″
Hauliers have been contacting industry representatives on both sides of the border since the weekend to complain that CLDN is imposing extra charges.
The news prompted the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) to write to Minister of State at the Department of Transport James Lawless this week asking him to intervene. The Minister’s office is understood to have contacted the company this week.
Damage inflicted by Storm Darragh last month closed Holyhead, a key Irish Sea port, adding to pressure on other routes between Ireland and Britain.
A note from CLDN staff to hauliers acknowledges that customers “would be frustrated” by the extra charge, but says that the company expects this to last only a short time.
IRHA president Ger Hyland maintains that companies are being asked to pay higher rates, regardless of space on ships.
CLDN has told hauliers that it will calculate hauliers’ usual allocations to reflect averages from the last six months.
According to Mr Hyland, Holyhead’s closure has left hauliers relying heavily on CLDN, which sails from Dublin and Warrenpoint, Co Down, to Liverpool and Heysham in England, and so offers alternatives to routes using the Welsh port.
Holyhead is a key port for Irish exporters and importers. Owner Stena Line has said it could reopen on January 16th, although some reports indicate that this could be a partial reopening. Hauliers fear the closure could last several months.
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CLDN has not responded to several requests from The Irish Times for comment.
Hauliers say that Holyhead’s closure in early December hit their costs as they were forced to travel extra distances to get loads on to alternative sailings on the Irish Sea to meet pre-Christmas demand in both Ireland and Britain.
They argue that the extra costs came as the industry was preparing to deal with extra fuel and toll road charges in the Republic.
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