THE IRISH ROAD Haulage Association (IRHA) has said that the ongoing closure of Holyhead Port will lead to some haulage companies going out of business unless they receive financial support from the Government or the EU.
The busy port in Anglesey, North Wales was damaged during Storm Darragh and authorities in the UK have said it will not be open to ferry traffic until at least 15 January.
IRHA President Ger Hyland said the closure has been “horrendous” for the industry, with freight still undelivered and companies still unclear as to when the port will reopen.
Hauliers, as well as other stakeholders from the freight, supply chain and ports sectors, are due to meet with Minister of State for Transport James Lawless to discuss the matter this morning.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Hyland said there was no plan in place for a closure of Holyhead.
“There was a scramble to get goods from Holyhead Port that were sitting on the quay for shipment to Ireland, and goods that were sitting on the quay in Dublin Port to go to Holyhead,” he said.
“So there was a scramble to get them to other other ports throughout the UK and get them shipped to Ireland.”
He said the level of diversion has a huge cost on prices, citing “truckloads of goods” which took two-and-a-half hours to get to Holyhead Port having to then travel up to eight hours to Cairnryan Port.
“We have people in offices, we have people in trucks that have hardly seen home since this broke two weeks ago.”
Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan and Lawless last week signed off on a derogation to temporarily extend the legal driving hours for hauliers for two weeks in an effort to get deliveries to Ireland on time during the Christmas period.
However, Hyland said he believes that many Christmas packages, particularly those travelling from the UK, will not reach their destinations on time.
He also said that some haulage companies could be out of business by the end of January as a result of the ongoing closure of Holyhead.
“Unless we get support from the Irish Government or from the EU, some of our companies are definitely going to fail within a short space of time. We are a very high turnover industry with a very low margin.”
He called on Minister of State James Lawless to step in and aid the sector. “We have to get financial aid to our shippers to weather this storm,” he said, adding that a direct subsidy was needed.
“Any goods that are sold off this island have to come through the transport industry. Any goods coming into this island are coming through the transport industry. Even if they come in on air freight, they still have to be delivered by our members. So 98% of all goods on all shelves in all shops are delivered by our industry. If our industry fails, this country fails.”
Hyland said Lawless had been “extremely engaging” over the last number of weeks, adding that he felt the political will was there to intervene.
He also said that hauliers can’t understand why Holyhead is still closed.
“Initially we were told that this port was going to be open on the Monday after the storm. Then it was the Tuesday. We lost five days. We had our trucks sitting in the port in Holyhead, and we were told tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.
“Our trucks were sitting in Holyhead, the trucks in Dublin were sitting in Dublin waiting for the freight to come to Dublin to be delivered. So then we had to get trailers in Holyhead and get them out of any port in the UK that we could get them to, to get a shipment to Ireland.”
According to Hyland, hauliers feel that the UK government have not done enough to get Holyhead up and running again, or to inform the sector when it will reopen.
“When we come back after Christmas, we will be calling on the UK government, the Irish Government, anybody who can tell us definitively when Holyhead is going to be up and running,” he said.
“If it’s going to be the middle of March, well then tell us it’s going to be the middle of March. If it’s going to be May or June, tell us it’s going to be May or June.”
Meanwhile, a Welsh Cabinet Secretary has said that people have been ferried to Ireland on alternative routes after the closure of Holyhead in an effort to get people home for Christmas.
All ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead are currently cancelled, upending travel plans for thousands in the festive season.
But alternative sailings to Ireland have been taking place this weekend amid high winds and challenging conditions.
Gusts of up to 75mph were forecast for parts of the UK on Sunday, with wind warnings in force across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and large swathes of England.
Welsh Transport Secretary Ken Skates said: “Conditions have been incredibly challenging across the UK, but additional sailings from Wales and the Mersey area have taken place, helping people and goods get to Ireland for Christmas. These sailings will continue.
“I’d like to thank the ferry companies for their efforts in putting alternative sailings in place. I would urge anyone who is travelling to check the arrangements with their ferry company.
“This is a challenge we have never faced before, but we’ll continue to work together with the UK and Irish governments to rescue the hopes and plans of people and businesses.
“We will also work with the owners of Holyhead Port to get the facility back open as soon as possible, as it is a massively important facility for Ireland and the UK.”
According to the Welsh Government, contingency plans are also in place for the New Year period.
With reporting from Press Association
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say