Taoiseach Simon Harris has been urged to escalate the response to the shipping crisis linked to the closure of Holyhead Port in Wales and to urgently raise the issue affecting the transport sector with UK prime minister Keir Starmer.
The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) made the call on Monday after meeting Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan and Minister of State at the Department of Transport James Lawless. It previously criticised the UK government, British ports and shipping companies for “not treating this crisis with the seriousness it needs”.
IRHA president Ger Hyland repeated his view that ferry companies need “to up their game and do more to alleviate the crisis after Christmas” and said Department of Transport officials must explore the potential future use of other ports due to an overreliance on Holyhead.
Mr Hyland said the closure of Holyhead due to storm damage earlier this month, which has resulted in disruption for thousands of would-be ferry passengers travelling for Christmas, had shown Ireland’s “vulnerability”. It is not set to reopen until January 15th at the earliest.
“We are over the Christmas period now, in that we can’t get any more freight in at this stage as passengers and cars take precedence, and we need to look to the future and what ports we can use to get the capacity levels in and out of the UK back up,” he said.
Mr Hyland said the department is considering the use of other UK ports such as Liverpool and Milford Haven in Wales from January.
“The main bulk of exports into Ireland comes from just one port and this episode has shown our vulnerability,” he said.
The IRHA said at the weekend that at least 50 Irish truck drivers could be stranded as a result of backlogs due to Holyhead’s closure. However, Mr Hyland said they had since been flown home.
He said he appreciated the ongoing dialogue with the Department of Transport and he noted that Mr Harris had discussed the issue with first minister of Wales Eluned Morgan on Friday. However, he said engagement would “bear fruit” once escalated to Mr Starmer’s level.
“We have 10 to 12 days now to get our house in order for the inevitable January trade returns to normal levels pre the crisis,” he said.
Mr Hyland also raised the issue of compensation with department officials on Monday, saying there has been a “considerable loss” in the last three weeks due to “costly” alternative routes having to be taken.
[ Hauliers seek €60m a month in aid to cope with Holyhead port closureOpens in new window ]
It is understood there was a difference of opinion between department officials and the IRHA in terms of the amount of compensation required. The IRHA previously said larger hauliers would be down hundreds of thousands of euro per day because of the ongoing issues.
Monday morning’s meeting also included representatives from Freight Transport Association Ireland, Irish Exporters Association, and Ibec food drink and retail representatives.
In a statement, the Department of Transport said the closure of Holyhead Port is being treated as an “absolute priority”, adding that the focus remains on securing viable additional routes and vessels to support the movement of both goods and people.
Regarding the call for financial supports, the department said while the damage arising from the closure of Holyhead Port has significant impacts, “it does not affect all hauliers in Ireland”.
“It will take some time to establish the precise impacts of the Holyhead Port closure across the sector and determine an appropriate response,” the statement reads.
The Minister, Mr Ryan, said his department would continue to monitor the situation, adding that he expected clarity on the situation at Holyhead from Stena, the owner, by mid-January.
“The one thing we all need is clear, accurate and real-time information so that we can respond quickly and appropriately to keep goods and people flowing between our two countries,” he said.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
