Irish Exporters Association Calls for Urgent Action to Reopen Holyhead Ferry Services

IEA Expresses Disappointment Over Prolonged Closure

Wednesday 11^th December 2024: The Irish Exporters Association (IEA) expresses ongoing disappointment over the continued closure of Holyhead Port ferry services since Saturday. The association calls for immediate and urgent action to confirm the reopening of services within the next 24 hours.

The Dublin-Holyhead (and return) route, a vital link between Ireland and the UK, plays a crucial role in the Irish export and import industry, facilitating the smooth transit of goods and services. The prolonged closure has already caused considerable disruptions, affecting supply chains, businesses, and consumers alike, and any further delay could impact the availability of certain items in the run up to Christmas.

Simon McKeever, CEO of the IEA, commented, “The closure of Holyhead Ferry services has created significant challenges for our exporters and importers alike. There is now a considerable backlog in both ports, which will take days to clear. Because of the return nature of logistics movements between the two ports, the ongoing delay in reopening is causing serious concern across all sectors and I urge the Minister for Transport and the Irish Government to contact their Welsh counterparts to resolve this issue. Holyhead Ferry Port is a critical infrastructure not only for the Irish export community, but also for Wales and the UK, and its prolonged closure has the capacity to causes significant supply chain issues in the run-up to Christmas in both countries causing undue hardship to businesses and consumers.”

You can read coverage of this story from all leading media in the following news articles (updated 12/12/24):

Newstalk https://www.newstalk.com/news/has-your-delivery-been-affected-by-storm-darragh-inflicted-port-issues-2116829

Irish Examiner https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41535683.html

The Journal https://www.thejournal.ie/holyhead-port-urged-to-re-open-quickly-to-tackle-pre-christmas-backlog-after-storm-forced-closure-6569945-Dec2024/

The Irish Independent https://www.independent.ie/business/fears-grow-over-christmas-imports-as-holyhead-port-remains-shut/a189547081.html

Fleet Transport https://fleet.ie/irish-exporters-association-calls-for-urgent-action-to-reopen-holyhead-ferry-services/

The Sun https://www.thesun.ie/travel/14347634/irish-ferry-trip-cancellations-storm-darragh-imports-holyhead/

BBC North Wales https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwypnlpz4d9o

Virgin Media News https://www.tiktok.com/@virginmedianews/video/7447512878543801632