FTA Ireland (FTAI), the business group representing the interests of logistics businesses across the Republic and their customers, is urging the Irish government and ferry operators to find alternative routes for goods to protect the country’s supply chain in the run up to Christmas.
Following infrastructure damage caused by Storm Darragh, the port – a key hub for the movement of goods between Ireland and its trading partners – has been closed to all ferry traffic and, as Aidan Flynn, FTAI’s Chief Executive explains, this has exposed how fragile Ireland’s supply chain is:
“The closure of Holyhead is creating significant problems for Ireland’s economy,” he explains, “with exports and imports threatened at one of the busiest times of the year. While our members appreciate the challenges being faced by the port as a result of such severe storm damage and understand that alternative routes have been expanded, it is still clear that there is still a serious lack of capacity to service the needs of Irish businesses.
“While it remains unclear when the port is likely to reopen, it is vital that the main operators redeploy ferries from Holyhead to other routes – particularly Dublin-Liverpool – to service the country’s central corridor and ensure that Irish businesses can receive imports and despatch exports with minimal delays to support the country’s highly interconnected supply chain. At such a critical time of year for the economy, it is imperative that all vehicles – including unaccompanied trailers – can find an effective means of transportation to keep shops, businesses, offices and homes supplied with the goods they require. Finding a solution to the problem must be a priority.”
As Mr Flynn continues, the government must also consider the needs of haulage drivers delayed by up to 14 hours while awaiting connections to other routes:
“HGV drivers are the unsung heroes in our supply chain,” he continues, “yet they have been largely forgotten while the port repairs are undertaken. Of course it is a highly unusual situation, but the lack of attention given to their basic needs – from the provision of hot refreshments to the availability of washing and toilet facilities – is not acceptable. Many of these drivers are having to wait in queues for up to 14 hours while alternative options can be found for them to continue their journeys, and do so without physical support or consistent information: this is unacceptable. FTAI is maintaining active engagement with the Irish government to prioritise solutions for the situation, but needs government and the port’s owners to do the same to support these key workers in such difficult circumstances – surely that is the least they deserve? Ireland’s supply chain relies on them to keep goods flowing to where they are most needed.”
