Written answers

Thursday, 14 January 2021

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport

Ports Development

Photo of Aindrias MoynihanAindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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20. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if consideration is being given to make Cork Port a free port as part of the response to Brexit; if engagement is taking place to have a vehicular ferry service in place from Cork for exporting and importing directly to and from Europe as part of Brexit mitigation plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38327/20]

Photo of Hildegarde NaughtonHildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Following on from a Government task force report in 1984, Ringaskiddy Freeport was established by Ministerial Order on the 23 June 1987 with the Port of Cork Company as the manager. The designation of the Ringaskiddy Freeport is still in force.  However, this designation is immaterial in the context of  preparations for Brexit.

The Port of Cork has advised that since that designation, the use of the Freeport has fallen into abeyance, due to the complex nature of the administrative and other requirements. 

The Port of Cork holds a customs bond in respect of the container compounds, car compounds, transit shed and sufferance wharf at Ringaskiddy and Tivoli. The bond has been approved by Revenue “as security for duties and or taxes due on all goods imported, landed delivered to, removed to, deposited, stored, delivered from, removed from or exported”. The Port has advised my Department that companies prefer to use this facility which better suits their business needs.

In terms of preparation for Brexit, since the publication of the report ‘The Implications of Brexit on the Use of the landbridge’ by the Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) in 2018, my Department, in conjunction with the IMDO, has been keeping the issue of direct shipping routes to the Continent under close review, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

My Department has had very regular discussions with shipping companies and other maritime stakeholders about this issue since January 2019. We have consistently received strong assurances from the shipping companies that if there is an increase in demand for shipping capacity on direct routes to Continental Europe, they will respond. Significant additional shipping links were added on direct routes to Continental Europe even during the Covid-19 pandemic in Summer 2020, with further improvements and increases in capacity coming on stream at the beginning of this year. As well as Stena doubling their sailings on the Rosslare-Cherbourg route, a new RoRo service from Rosslare to Dunkirk was announced on 27th November 2020 and commenced on 2 January 2020.  DFDS will operate 3 new vessels on the route with a journey time of 24 hours from Rosslare to Dunkerque. The vessels have the capacity to carry around 125 trucks/trailers. This additional capacity and connectivity is a welcome addition to the other new direct services and increased sailing frequencies outlined by the shipping sector over the last number of months.

Such announcements reinforce that the shipping industry is resilient, responsive and capable, without State intervention, of adjusting to and satisfying market demand.

The Port of Cork Company has also regularly reviewed the impact of various forms of Brexit on their activities. The Port of Cork’s current RoRo services are directly linked with the EU and are not impacted by Brexit. They comprise of RoPax services operated by Brittany Ferries to the Port of Roscoff (France) from March to October and a ConRo service to the Port of Zebrugge (Belgium) by CLdN for the full year.

Brittany Ferries have initiated plans for increased passenger and freight capacity on its Cork-Roscoff route by putting a second service in operation in 2021.

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