Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am not a member of this committee, but I thank the Chairman for letting me contribute. I am passionate about the port of Waterford, being a former chairman and having worked in the port for over 23 years. I actually had the honour of serving with Mr. Whelan's father on the Waterford Harbour Commission. It is clear that the port faces major challenges. Since 2006, it has lost approximately 40% of traffic, and probably a few hundred per cent since the 1990s, when the port was thriving and up to 300,000 TEU, 20 ft. equivalent units, were being shipped in and out. It saddens me to hear that there are now only two ships a week to Rotterdam. When I worked in the port, we had five or six ships to Rotterdam, four or five to Newport and one or two per week to Le Havre. Hopefully we can gradually get back to that situation.

As Mr. Whelan has said, the port is ideally situated. It probably has the best road access in the country. The rail access, however, is totally under-utilised. We must start using this means of transport again, because Waterford is one of only two ports in the country with direct rail access under the gantries. As Mr. Whelan pointed out, cruise ships are another area with great potential for growth, which would be of huge benefit to the tourism sector in the city. Mr. Whelan has a difficult job; much is done but there remains much to do in coming years, with a new manager in place. Marketing, and Mr. Whelan's experience in this area, will be key to advancing the port in future years. As the Chairman has stated, the members of the committee wish Mr. Whelan well, and I am sure he will be invited back after a year or so to report to the committee on his stewardship.