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LAST UPDATE | 13 Dec 2024
AN POST HAS said it received about 350,000 parcels from the UK as of this morning as British retailers find alternatives to sending goods through the Holyhead port in Wales, which has been closed since Storm Darragh.
Meanwhile, transport Ministers Eamon Ryan and James Lawless, as well as the Department of Transport, are engaging with stakeholders and have been briefed on “all possible solutions so that trade supplies and passenger traffic can be accommodated through alternative ports as effectively as possible”.
From this week, additional capacity is being provided from Rosslare and Irish Ferries is assigning the WB Yeats to replace the Isle of Innisfree this week.
Rosslare Europort is currently experiencing an increase of over 120% in freight volumes from the UK when compared to previous weeks.
A spokesperson said Rosslare Europort will do all in its “power to provide additional capacity and support at the port that will help address the challenges and concerns being experienced”.
Stena Line Ferries has also introduced an additional sailing to Liverpool and while the Port of Cork currently has no direct UK sailings, it has indicated that it has the capacity to operate one sailing a day, and possibly two, based on scheduling.
Ministers Ryan and Lawless have also suggested that more Northern ports and routes could also be considered.
They will continue to engage with stakeholders over the weekend and intend to meet with Irish Ferries and Stena Line on Monday.
Minister Lawless has written to his counterpart in the Welsh Assembly, Ken Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, to arrange a meeting.
The Ministers will also write to the Secretary of State for Transport for the UK, Heidi Alexander.
In a social media post, An Post said: “Many UK retailers have worked to secure alternative routes into to Ireland while Holyhead remains closed, resulting in a much decreased backlog of parcel trucks at Holyhead,”
An Post added that it has the “facilities technology and staff to process and deliver” the hundreds of thousands of parcels.
For people who ordered something from the UK before Storm Darragh, An Post said “it should arrive in the coming days but check directly with your retailer”.
“There is ongoing speculation as to a resumption date for ferry traffic through Holyhead but as of this morning, the last of the 150,000 UK parcels destined for An Post and affected by the port closure have been re-routed to other UK ports,” a spokesperson for An Post said.
“Larger capacity ferries are now accessing Ireland from Wales, Scotland and Liverpool via Rosslare Europort, Larne and Dublin Port, and will continue to do so right up to Christmas and into New Year 2025.”
UK parcels are being received by An Post at its Dublin, Portlaoise and Athlone hubs for processing and delivery tomorrow and early next week.
“These large hubs have the latest technology, equipment and additional Christmas staff to meet this challenge and to deal with parcels arriving by air, as well as large volumes of domestic parcels being posted by Irish brands and personal customers,” An Post said.
The ferries bringing incoming goods via Dublin, Larne and Rosslare are also carrying outbound parcel traffic back to the UK and beyond, though this may add some time to the journey.
If you are planning to order from UK retailers, check with them regarding their delivery dates for Ireland, the postal service advised.
“All outgoing international parcel services are operating normally,” An Post said, adding that post offices will remain open this Saturday.
An Post will be delivering up to Christmas Eve all parcels received by 21 December.
Simon McKeever of the Irish Exporters Association, speaking to The Journal, said that shipping companies are trying to divert ships to other ports but uncertainty about when Holyhead would reopen created challenges for making decisions, as well as managing the locations of trucks, trailers and drivers.
Additionally, many passengers who were due to travel on the cancelled ships may be looking to re-book, he said, raising questions about: “When people are travelling home for Christmas in both directions, who gets priority on that boat?”
CEO of Freight Transport Association Ireland (FTA) Aidan Flynn said that the disruption has come at a difficult time of year in the run-up to Christmas and that it is “creating concern and anxiety”.
However, he added that the supply chain “is resilient”.
“We’re beginning to see a moving of supply lines to Liverpool and Pembroke and Fishguard out of Rosslare and Dublin,” Flynn said, speaking to The Journal.
“That will help alleviate it but the main priority is to get Holyhead open again.”
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The meteorologists give colour coded warnings and they’re criticised for being alarmist. Then when its percieved thay didn’t give a warning they’re at fault.
They may have slightly underestimated the amounts yesterday, but they did forecast snow in the afternoon. Weather is unpredictable, it’s not possible to be 100% right all the time.
@James Wallace: colour coded warnings are useless basically yellow or orange go to work. red go to work if your workplace is open.
@James Wallace: they forecast snow in the afternoon….when it was already snowing. Ya good work guys. I got caught and it took close on two hours to get from Naas to Newbridge
@ed w: Actually, a red warning advises that nobody travel and to stay safe, even if it’s to go to work. Retail/office staff who are disciplined for missing work during a red warning will have a slam dunk winning case, also, businesses leave themselves open to cases for risking staffs safety and wellbeing for operating during these events.
Warning systems save lives, and undoubtedly they have during the 2 we’ve had in the last 2 years.
@Mick Morrissey: They forecast snow the day before. I follow the weather regularly. They issued the warning and well.
I was caught in the M7 delays yesterday, 7.5hrs on a bus from Cork to Dublin with no water and no food. It was horrendous.
AA Roadwatch was poorly updated and updated far too late – they should have put out a do not travel unless necessary notice at 2pm but failed to do so (because it was Sunday I’m sure) and caused thousands and thousands of people to be stranded on dark motorways. The whole thing was a farce and put vulnerable people in an impossible position (there were elderly people and a pregnant woman on our coach who were very stressed).
They knew the snow was coming and did absolutely nothing to mitigate the effects. Embarrassing, incompetent Irish as usual.
@Rachel: what exactly do you expect them to do? Turn off the weather to suit you?
@Rachel: AA is not our weather forecasters where were they with there forecast Excuse the pun They were asleep at the wheel
The BBC HAD IN ON SATURDAY NIGHT THAT SNOW WAS ARRIVING IN THE UK SUNDAY Did our people think none would fall here
@Rachel: to the people commenting do ye not have any lives of your own that you have to put pathetic comments on here she was only passing a comment which she is in titled to do.
@Rachel: S
@Rachel: So Rachel it their fault you didn’t bring any food or drinks with you !! And probably cause there was no toilet on board either
So if someone travelling from Cork to Dublin had seen a sign that said it was snowing and to expect long delays, that they would what… turn around and go back?
@Reuben Gray: no. They would find something else to complain about
@Shaun Gallagher: Maybe the overhead signs could just say “Brexit, discuss”.
@Reuben Gray: if they were near enough to Cork they might have, and likewise someone travelling South have have turned around and headed home to Dublin
@Reuben Gray: yes or if they had a child, come off at the next exit and find somewhere to stop and wait it out. We were stuck in our car with 2 hungry kids for hours and it was no joke.
We got the warnings. Mother nature is unpredictable
Weather forecast said rain turning to light snow fall would not stick because of wet ground and going back to rain. Not what happened.
@KJmadra.: In life never believe all you read.Especially about the weather in March in Ireland.
@Billy McNamara: I don’t not much can be believed from met eireann. Usually opposite.
@KJmadra.: Your comment is telling of lack of understanding of complex global weather system, local climates and other variables needed to attempt to forecast weather.
It’s a bleedin forecast, not a prediction
It was the worst I’ve ever experienced yesterday. 3:30 mins from kildare shopping village to the ball in Naas. 4 hrs total to get to work.
There were reports of congestion going into Newbridge and Naas so I have another half hour early, but the back roads were also reported to be dangerous & trees down in area.
Im not sure what could of been done to fix it but it would of been a nice touch to have a least one emergency service out with a few cans of fuel as a good few ran out and caused further blockages.
Maybe hand out bottles of water given it was so many hours stuck between 2 exits for hours.
I’ll always keep at least a third of a tank and water in car in future!
@Shayne O’Donoghue: So during sever weather events, you want people to come to your car and offer you a bottle of water and fill your car? Why not instruct your chauffeur to keep a jerry can and a water cooler accessible at all times?
@Shayne O’Donoghue: what planet do you live on. FFS!!
@Shayne O’Donoghue: being prepared always seems to be the last option.
AA Roadwatch = waste of space. Totally useless.
@Cathal Flood: not only are they a private company, they are a self proclaimed political lobby group and as such should not be getting any free air time, especially on RTE which is supposed to be an impartial public service broadcaster. By getting into bed with the AA, RTE is breaching it’s own guidelines. Yet every time we discuss congestion, bus corridors, cycle lanes etc, up pops AA to give their self serving input.
@James Wallace: and we have to look at that crooked mouth acting like a government spokesperson or self appointed voice of the driver.
@James Wallace: I’m afraid the AA have always been a political body… they were founded in the UK in the early part of the last century to warn motorists that police were carrying out speed checks ahead . They only started repairing cars later on !
@Ollie Conroy: exactly, they have always been a political body so why are they allowed free reign on the airwaves? RTE are not allowed to promote or favour one political body over another
@In my opinion: she obviously does not remember when that was normal journey time!!
Thanks for name calling – I shouldn’t even rely to trolls… Especially anonymous ones…. But the status yellow warning was for rain not snow.
@Louise O’Connor: it was for snow as well. There were numerous warnings yesterday. Wind rain and snow!
@joe: snow was forecast for high ground only.
@Louise O’Connor: agreed Louise I was in the same situation yesterday checked the weather before I left a warning against rain with snow on high ground. Plus the toll plaza was a joke only two lanes open causing huge back logs
@john paul crowley: thanks. And yes toll plaza was something medieval. If guards were onsite, they could have managed the flow much more quickly. There were 6km tailbacks on both sides.
TII is the key to the chaos, you cannot believe how under qualified these people are. Like cervical check, HSE, ran by people not from shop floor, so if you see a cool logo your usually dealing with BS. Another logo the RSA no sign of them condemning because if you saw the number of tips,crashes it is amazing someone wasn’t seriously hurt.
If there is to be snow you hedge, have your gritter ready supporting the motorways the preparation is not to send out a Suit to give positive soundbites. Fact is if you had of supported the road networks with gritters prior then the shutdown would not of happened.
Rem . Nothing works here because of bluffers in suits.
@Albert Brennerman: totally agree.
TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE IRELAND (TII)
And another quango surfaces.
Traveling back from Kilkenny to Dublin when the snow hit. Added an hour or so into the journey. The biggest issue, by a country mile, were the absolute idiots, no, that’s too mild a word, that put their lives and mine in danger as they rushed to get home faster, jumping lanes, creating “3rd” lanes, speeding through drifts. If you are reading lads, F@#K YOU
That what happens when Irish retailer’s told met office to quit the weather warning as it was affecting their business. It was only one afternoon get over it – and now realise who dictates what information is released to the public.
1) Had they ‘salted’ the roads in advance?
2) Was this caused because there were not enough staff on duty because it was a Sunday?
Forecast was for wintery showers turning to sleet and snow for the midlands and that’s what happened the motorways were closed in sections due to accidents leading to Sunday night traffic being diverted through towns and inevitably delays. The ploughs and gritters were out but the volume of snow was horrendous so not much more could be done to prevent the delays
@Eamonn O Connell: was four hours on the motorway never saw one snow plough or gritter
@GClare: I do.
Always a worrying sign when swans can be seen flying @ night??
You’d be sorted in a Kia Sorrento AWD
” … If all the girls in this college were laid end to end, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
Dorothy Parker
@GClare: I do. Not that it has anything to do with yesterday’s events.
“..She’s as pure as the driven slush. …”
Dorothy Parker
@In my opinion: there were no warnings.
BBC had it on Saturday night…
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