Irish hauliers told support decisions will ‘take time’ after Holyhead
Irish hauliers told support decisions will ‘take time’ after Holyhead
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The Irish Department of Transport has said it will “take time” to determine any appropriate financial supports for hauliers affected by the closure of Holyhead Port. The busy ferry port in Anglesey, north Wales, was forced to close following damage during Storm Darragh and is not set to re-open until January 15 at the earliest.
All ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead are currently cancelled, upending travel plans for thousands across the festive season. However, alternative sailings to Ireland took place over the weekend amid high winds and challenging conditions. Irish ministers met supply-chain stakeholders on Monday to facilitate new services “to the greatest extent priority”.
The Department of Transport said the closure of the port is being treated with “absolute priority”. The focus remains on securing viable additional routes and vessels with sufficient capacity to support the steady movement of both goods and people between Ireland and the UK during the period of Holyhead Port closure.
A number of additional routes and services have been put in place: Dublin to Liverpool, Dublin to Heysham, Dublin to Fishguard and from Belfast to Cairnryan which has created additional capacity to compensate for the losses through Holyhead. The Department said it is “working hard” with operators and UK authorities to establish further routes that can accommodate passenger and freight demand.
