PORTS & HARBOURS

Bremore Project Challenges Irish Government

19 years ago

Irelands national ports are facing a capacity crisis. The growth in exports, the trend to outsourcing part of the production process and the boom in imports of construction materials has wiped out the capacity of most ports. Hence, the approval by the Government ofthe joint venture between Drogheda Port Company and Castle MarketHoldings Limited to establish a new deep water port at Bremore, locatedbetween Dublin and Drogheda, is very welcome to the export industry.

The renewed growth in exports in the first six months of this year has brought back into sharp focus the lack of sufficient capacity to handle further increases in containerised traffic in the commercial port sector.

The Bremor project, expected to cost some ¢210m, is one of the most significant in the port sector, and breaks new ground in attracting private sector funding into Irish Port development.

John Whelan, CEO of the Irish Exporters Association (IEA) said, ‘This proposed new deep water port along the high demand East coast corridor, capable of rapidly handling the new generation of ships plying international waters, with congestion free motorway access, is critical to supporting the supply chain demands on exporters.’

The IEA sees this joint venture, with the private sector taking 49% of the new Bremore Port company and Drogheda Port (the State company) retaining a controlling 51%, as a much needed method of introducing fresh capital into the development of Irish ports. The lack of any exchequer allocation to sea port development is considered a major oversight in the NDP 2007 – 2013.

John Whelan added, ‘If the Bremore Port development can be fastforwarded through the legislation process for environmental impact assessment, foreshore licensing and County Council planning approval, then the various Government bodies involved will have at least responded with action to the needs of exporters, if not in cash.

‘This is a test case for the Government, they must be seen to move rapidly. The Critical Infrastructure mechanism, introduced into legislation earlier in the year, must now get involved with the Bremor project.

‘If rapidly and successfully handled, other private sector investors will be encouraged to invest in other ports. The State must recognise the importance of this as a test case of large scale PPP in ports.’