Investment at Rosslare Europort

Started by pdnr777, January 06, 2018, 05:28:40 PM

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giftgrub

Some more here

https://www.rte.ie/amp/1023998/

The announcement by Irish Ferries that it would not run a French ferry service from Rosslare this summer came as a big shock for local people in the Wexford port.

Not least for Glen Carr, the General manager of Rosslare Europort, which is run by CIE.

He said the loss of the Irish Ferries service equates to around 10% of the port's income. 

So far, Irish Ferries has not said anything further than their original statement in December in which it said it was unlikely that the service would operate this year but it "will continue to keep this situation under review".

The company said that a majority of its customers have a clear preference for the more central location and easy access of Dublin.

It said the new WB Yeats ferry will operate from Dublin to Cherbourg, with 20% greater passenger capacity up to four days per week.


Local business owners in the village of Rosslare Harbour are concerned as they rely on port traffic for a boost to the seasonal economy.

Families heading off to France tend to do a last minute stop at the SuperValu shop, which sits right at the entrance to the port. 


Owner Alan Murphy said they organise their deli counter rosters and stock around the French service - knowing that coach tours and families like to pick up a "chicken fillet roll" or tea bags and sausages as they head off and he is concerned about the knock-on effect to his bottom line this summer. 

One customer who won't be popping in this summer is Karen Cormack.

Karen and her family went on holiday to France in 2017, with Irish Ferries to Roscoff and stayed within an hour's drive from the north French port.

They liked where they stayed so she put a deposit down last October in order to book it again for this summer. She waited, like a lot of Irish families, for Irish Ferries to open up its bookings, but instead, the announcement it wouldn't be sailing to Roscoff from Rosslare came.

Karen didn't want to go to Cherbourg as it would be a further five hour drive to accommodation so she's decided to book with Brittany Ferries who do travel into Roscoff, but from Cork.

Despite living in Dublin, she said the drive to Cork is worth it, weighing up the hour versus five hour drive the other side. 

Back in Rosslare Harbour village, which used to be home to a few different hotels, it is now B&B's and guest houses that mainly provide accommodation for tourists.

Margaret Hartigan is the owner of Clifford House B&B. She's been here for 40 years and she says in all that time, there has been an Irish Ferries French service, two in fact for a time. Now she's worried about missing the European trade - the tourists who come and stay and use this part of the sunny southeast as a base while they explore the region. 

Standing outside her house on the cliff top above the beach with a panoramic view of the Europort terminal building and berths, Margaret tells me she hopes another company will be persuaded to come and take up the Irish Ferries Rosslare-France service. 

That's something Glen Carr is hoping for too. He said CIE is actively talking to other shipping lines in the hope they can get the business back to Rosslare Europort.


giftgrub

Behind paywall from last Sunday's business post

https://www.businesspost.ie/news/ross-urged-liberate-rosslare-port-british-rule-434905

Basically suggesting Rosslare needs needs to be taken out of the "Fishguard & Rosslare Railways & Harbours company", To allow government more control over the area.

Unlikely to happen given the legal complexity of the company and the stakeholders, on the Irish side CIE through Irish Rail have control, and CIE are state owned.....

Stena control the Welsh side of the business.

Steven

#62
Its all the NTA's fault for making IF pay compensation to passengers apparently now anyway  ::).  You know, in the same way, that every other ferry company in Europe has to pay out compensation!!!! 

Quote"Ongoing discussions with the NTA on the interpretation of EU regulation has been a critical factor in regretfully concluding that we are unlikely to operate the Oscar Wilde to France out of Rosslare in 2019 – a service which has been in operation continuously for 45 years, providing the South East of the country with an important tourism and freight link directly to the European market.  The NTA's approach to the Regulation has contributed to making the route commercially unviable into the future.  Furthermore, the NTA interpretation of the EU Regulation specifically regarding land bridge (i.e. travel between Ireland to France through Britain), significantly penalises regional ports due to their lower frequency of back up ferry services from Ireland to the UK in the event of a cancellation of a direct Continental service"

https://www.irishferries.com/uk-en/news-listing/irish-ferries-statement-regarding-the-nta-decision-concerning-cancellation-of-w.b.-yeats-service/
Steve in Belfast (suburbia)

Flickr: www.flickr.com/tarbyonline


DaveW1946

See also the back page of local Wexford newspapers this week, which sets out the complexities of Rosslare Europort ownership, which includes UK Government!
Sorry I only have hard copy so no link.

giftgrub

Quote from: DaveW1946 on February 07, 2019, 06:20:45 AM
See also the back page of local Wexford newspapers this week, which sets out the complexities of Rosslare Europort ownership, which includes UK Government!
Sorry I only have hard copy so no link.

From my understanding of the company that controls both ports, basically IrishRail are responsible for Rosslare and Stena for Fishguard, if you work back it's Irish government and UK respectively and back further Great Western Railway (UK) and Great Southern & Western Railway (Irl).

At the end of the day, Stena own Fishguard and IrishRail Rosslare, so the buck stops with IrishRail (CIE) in Ireland.

As Ireland's second largest port, the penny might be about to drop that investment is required as you cannot route everything through Dublin.


giftgrub

Quote from: DaveW1946 on February 07, 2019, 06:20:45 AM
See also the back page of local Wexford newspapers this week, which sets out the complexities of Rosslare Europort ownership, which includes UK Government!
Sorry I only have hard copy so no link.

Link to the article here

https://www.wexfordpeople.ie/news/confusion-over-ownership-may-have-hit-investment-in-rosslare-says-td-37784010.html


Pádraig Byrne

Complications surrounding the ownership of Rosslare Europort are likely to have been a major factor in the lack of investment seen there in recent years, according to Fianna Fáil Deputy James Browne.
After doing some digging, Deputy Browne believes he's gotten to the bottom of the ownership issue and has raised the matter on several occasions in the Dáil with Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney.

'Basically, I've done a bit of digging on this, and Rosslare Europort was established under the Rosslare Fishguard Harbours Company 1898 by UK statutory instrument. That covers the two ports and a bit of the railway at either side. Under this act, the British government delegated control of Rosslare to Iarnróid Eireann and Fishguard comes under the control of Stena Line. Essentially it's an arrangement like the ESB - it's state owned, but the government have very little hand or part in its running.'

'Effectively,' he continued. 'The future of Rosslare Europort is in the hands of the UK government. They could opt to dissolve the company if they wished to. Now I'm sure Iarnróid Eireann would fight that every step of the way, but hypothetically, it's possible. I don't think Britain has any particular economic or political interest in the port, it's just not on their agenda, until the Irish government puts it on their agenda.'

'Maybe in the wake of Brexit, the UK government will be happy to keep a port in the EU,' Deputy Browne added. 'I'm not suggesting that we'll start to see British navy ships down in Rosslare or anything, but it's something that needs to be resolved.'

Deputy Browne has urged the government to reach out to the Departments of transport and foreign affairs in the UK in a bid to sort out the ownership once and for all. He says a piece of legislation needs to be passed in both the UK and Ireland.

'If we want to get the port back into Irish hands, we need to go to the UK government and say it,' he said. 'Nobody really knows who has the final say on the future of Rosslare and I think that's been a problem. Iarnróid Eireann were quite happy to have the government take over the port and to walk away, but they were given control by UK statute. I think that's been a reason for a failure to invest in Rosslare.'

Wexford People

hhvferry

Quote from: giftgrub on February 11, 2019, 10:27:13 PM
Quote from: DaveW1946 on February 07, 2019, 06:20:45 AM
See also the back page of local Wexford newspapers this week, which sets out the complexities of Rosslare Europort ownership, which includes UK Government!
Sorry I only have hard copy so no link.

Link to the article here

https://www.wexfordpeople.ie/news/confusion-over-ownership-may-have-hit-investment-in-rosslare-says-td-37784010.html


Pádraig Byrne

Complications surrounding the ownership of Rosslare Europort are likely to have been a major factor in the lack of investment seen there in recent years, according to Fianna Fáil Deputy James Browne.
After doing some digging, Deputy Browne believes he's gotten to the bottom of the ownership issue and has raised the matter on several occasions in the Dáil with Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney.

'Basically, I've done a bit of digging on this, and Rosslare Europort was established under the Rosslare Fishguard Harbours Company 1898 by UK statutory instrument. That covers the two ports and a bit of the railway at either side. Under this act, the British government delegated control of Rosslare to Iarnróid Eireann and Fishguard comes under the control of Stena Line. Essentially it's an arrangement like the ESB - it's state owned, but the government have very little hand or part in its running.'

'Effectively,' he continued. 'The future of Rosslare Europort is in the hands of the UK government. They could opt to dissolve the company if they wished to. Now I'm sure Iarnróid Eireann would fight that every step of the way, but hypothetically, it's possible. I don't think Britain has any particular economic or political interest in the port, it's just not on their agenda, until the Irish government puts it on their agenda.'

'Maybe in the wake of Brexit, the UK government will be happy to keep a port in the EU,' Deputy Browne added. 'I'm not suggesting that we'll start to see British navy ships down in Rosslare or anything, but it's something that needs to be resolved.'

Deputy Browne has urged the government to reach out to the Departments of transport and foreign affairs in the UK in a bid to sort out the ownership once and for all. He says a piece of legislation needs to be passed in both the UK and Ireland.

'If we want to get the port back into Irish hands, we need to go to the UK government and say it,' he said. 'Nobody really knows who has the final say on the future of Rosslare and I think that's been a problem. Iarnróid Eireann were quite happy to have the government take over the port and to walk away, but they were given control by UK statute. I think that's been a reason for a failure to invest in Rosslare.'

Wexford People
I'm not sure this is true at all, the company was established via a legal instrument but it isn't state-owned, certainly the UK half. The UK government's shareholding in the Fishguard & Rosslare company went with Sealink upon privatisation and thence to Stena. So Stena legally hold half ownership of Rosslare and the Irish railways half ownership of Fishguard. But as stated they have agreement to treat Fishguard as if it were fully owned by Stena and vice-versa at Rosslare. And I can't imagine Stena being an impediment to development.

The accounts of Stena Line Ports Limited are very clear about this -




giftgrub

Yes, I think the Respective Dail members are coming to this late and don't understand the set up, they are only looking at one side of the information.

As mentioned before IrishRail (CIE) responsible for Rosslare, Stena & Associated Stena Companies Fishguard and there the mystery ends.




Chef

Parking bays for 35 ships  ? , lazy journos .

giftgrub

More Brexit inspired shenanigans

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/state-to-use-emergency-orders-for-brexit-checkpoints-1.3821123


A must read including suggestions that traffic into Dublin port be rerouted to Cork to ease congestion.