Hauliers have urged the incoming government to consider measures to protect Irish Sea trade after Holyhead port in Wales reopened to traffic on Thursday morning, more than a month after it was closed due to damage caused by Storm Darragh.
It was not smooth sailing for the port operator, with a malfunctioning ramp causing delays at Holyhead’s Terminal 5 early in the day.
“This issue was quickly resolved and operations have continued with minor delays,” the operator said.
Hauliers said the delay lasted three hours, and criticised loading priority being given to lorries, which are more costly for them to transport than trailers backlogged at the port.
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Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) president Ger Hyland said that 60 per cent of Irish Sea trade moved through Holyhead and the ramp failure showed how vulnerable the situation remained. Mr Hyland, who was in Holyhead as the port reopened, said it “was not a promising start”.
“The amount of freight waiting on the Welsh side was absolutely huge, and if this berth goes down again it will be a huge disaster for our sector, for passengers, and more especially for Ireland’s exports and imports. So hopefully this will improve,” he said.
Mr Hyland said the recent issues were “more than a problem for the Irish Sea trade, they are a problem for the Irish economy”. He added that a timeline for the reopening of the second berth damaged by the storm in early December was urgently needed.
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He said hauliers want to be invited to a proposed meeting involving the Irish, Welsh and English governments to discuss the ongoing challenges, given that they are “responsible for the movement of 98 per cent of all palleted goods into and out of the country”.
The amount of freight waiting on the Welsh side was absolutely huge, and if this berth goes down again it will be a huge disaster for our sector
The IRHA has called on the Government to consider taking a stake in Holyhead, with a view to increasing the number of berths available. The port is privately owned by Stena Line and operated separately to the Stena Line ferry service.
“But it doesn’t have to be Holyhead. The Irish and Welsh or British Governments should look at making another port on Anglesea as the road infrastructure is there. Or they could look at other ports near Liverpool,” Mr Hyland said.
In a statement, Holyhead Port acknowledged it was facilitating lorries ahead of trailers, and said it “has restricted loading capabilities at the moment for unaccompanied freight, as our port staff get accustomed to the new loading arrangements and timetable”.
It added: “This will be temporary, and we have already started to lift the constraints as we return to the ships’ previous capacity. There are no operational constraints on driver-accompanied freight vehicles. We appreciate our customers’ patience while our teams adjust to a new way of working.
“Until now, our focus has been on bringing Terminal 5 back into operation. Our attention will now shift to Terminal 3 and an assessment of the works required to bring it back into service. We will provide an updated timeline for Terminal 3 as soon as possible.”
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