Direct Ferries to the Continent must be sailing by January ? IRHA
Eugene Drennan, President of the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has stated that the current efficiency of a Landbridge route to the European Continent cannot now be regarded as a reliable option for Irish hauliers post-Brexit. 
In an extensive interview with Pat Kenny on Newstalk radio this week, IRHA President Eugene Drennan said the Government must now provide assistance to put regular direct ferries connecting Ireland with mainland Europe. He informed listeners about the practical problems that will face importers and exporters when Britain leaves the European Union (EU) at the end of December. Brexit will effect importers and exporters on two levels. In the first instance tariffs may be imposed by both the EU and the UK, this may in some cases determine if a company can survive in the new environment. In the second instance the logistics of importing and exporting come into the spotlight.
This is where the IRHA is concerned for their members as hold ups and delays will effect truck movements between Ireland and the UK, creating cost, that someone must bear. Trucks going and coming from mainland Europe will likely become caught up in these delays at ferry ports, in spite of assurances to the contrary. Direct ferries will be necessary if the country, importers and exporters is to be spared significant delays to supply chains.

https://fleet.ie/direct-ferries-to-the-continent-must-be-sailing-by-january-irha/

What are the options? Should the  Government set up a ferry company? Subsidise IF,  Stena or P and O to run a service?

Regarding shipping I suppose Brittany Ferries has some ships lying idle currently, would any of those be suitable for overnight  freight or Ro/Pax service?

One other question, which ports? Dublin seems pretty packed so Rosslare or Cork must be in the frame.....to Cherbourg, Dunkerque?

Interesting times.

What are the options? Should the  Government set up a ferry company? Subsidise IF,  Stena or P and O to run a service?

Regarding shipping I suppose Brittany Ferries has some ships lying idle currently, would any of those be suitable for overnight  freight or Ro/Pax service?

One other question, which ports? Dublin seems pretty packed so Rosslare or Cork must be in the frame.....to Cherbourg, Dunkerque?

Interesting times.

Saw Le Harve mentioned somewhere as the preferred choice of some hauliers.

Le Havre is the preferred option for hauliers owing mainly to it's better road connections and therefore shorter journey times for the truckers. There is plenty of spare tonnage laid up at the moment so costs should be lower than normal. If our government were to surprise us all by being proactive I think I would have to contact them advising them not to go with Seabourne Freight (ha) as their genius UK counterparts did.

There has been an increase in media coverage regarding this topic in recent times as the BREXIT transition period is due to come to an end on 31st December next.

Ireland faces devastating blow due to our failure to develop ferry services to Europe - Stephen Collins:
Amid Brexit, Irish trucks need extra ferries to transit goods to and from continent
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/ireland-faces-devastating-blow-due-to-our-failure-to-develop-ferry-services-to-europe-1.4363802

New ferry links in Rosslare and Cork could address Brexit weaknesses - Brendan Howlin
New direct ferry links to the EU are essential according to the Labour TD
https://www.irishexaminer.com/business/economy/arid-40054493.html

Alternative route from Ireland to Europe must be found - hauliers
https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/0923/1166880-no-deal-brexit-v-coronavirus/

We have the routes in place to Cherbourg , Bilbao, Rotterdam and Zeabrugge and capacity will be be increased as required to support any demand.

epsilon is rarely full when she sails to Cherbourg.

Routes announced to operate between Republic of Ireland and European Continent during 2021

Dublin    to Rotterdam  - CLdN
Dublin    to Cherbourg  - Irish Ferries
Rosslare to Cherbourg  - Stena Line
Rosslare to Cherbourg  - Brittany Ferries
Rosslare to Bilbao        - Brittany Ferries
Cork       to Roscoff *   - Brittany Ferries
Cork       to Zeebrugge - CLdN

* denotes this route mainly serves tourist market. Cork to Roscoff route will continue to be served by MV Pont Aven with Saturday departures ex-Cork while Brittany Ferries is also set to introduce a mid-week sailing ex-Cork using MV Amorique in 2021

Irish Continental Group (ICG) used operated Rosslare Cherbourg, Rosslare Le Havre along with summer seasonal services Cork Cherbourg and Cork Le Havre until around 1997 however I understand; Irish Ferries now only operates one direct route to the continent nowadays (i.e.) Dublin to Cherbourg services.

I understand from other contributors to this forum that some hauliers would welcome a direct link between Ireland and Le Havre once more. Is there much prospect of any direct Ireland to Le Havre link being re-established in the event of No Deal Brexit becoming a reality after December 31st going forward?   
 

I understand from other contributors to this forum that some hauliers would welcome a direct link between Ireland and Le Havre once more. Is there much prospect of any direct Ireland to Le Havre link being re-established in the event of No Deal Brexit becoming a reality after December 31st going forward?

One of the basic reules of busness is to adapt to supply and demand issues, that's how you gain an edge over your competitiors. BF changed services already at the request of hauliers, if the demand is there, I can't see whay they, Stena or IF wouldn't step in.

Well my understanding is that Brittany Ferries had made public announcements regarding it's ambitious plans for 2021 season however; I've since read subsequent press release statements that warned that BF services would be cut if business volumes did not pick up. If the Coronavirus pandemic situation continues to cause travel chaos well into Spring/Summer 2021 I would not be surprised if this could derail a number of it's proposed service changes announced in recent months as capacity will not be increased especially in routes that largely depend on tourist market like Cork to Roscoff and other similar routes between UK and France/Spain. BF's other Irish routes may also be impacted by whatever is decided after the end of the BREXIT transition period at the end of this year.

Uncertainty in terms of the freight trade & tourist trade business makes it an extremely challenging time for all operators involved in the transport industry for the foreseeable future. Add to that future changes brought about by various governments implementing key climate change measures which puts additional pressure on costs after a terrible 2020 season for all.   

Sources:

https://brittanyferriesnewsroom.com/further-schedule-changes-are-regrettable-but-necessary-says-brittany-ferries/

https://brittanyferriesnewsroom.com/brittany-ferries-confirms-post-august-schedule-changes-as-demand-slumps/   

I understand from other contributors to this forum that some hauliers would welcome a direct link between Ireland and Le Havre once more. Is there much prospect of any direct Ireland to Le Havre link being re-established in the event of No Deal Brexit becoming a reality after December 31st going forward?

One of the basic reules of busness is to adapt to supply and demand issues, that's how you gain an edge over your competitiors. BF changed services already at the request of hauliers, if the demand is there, I can't see whay they, Stena or IF wouldn't step in.

Exactly if the demand exists ferries will be found to run the routes or existing routes will be changed to accommodate demand. If Le Harve is suddenly the go to port, then it would not be hard for any of the existing operators to transfer services/ introduce new services.

For example

IF can bring WBY onto Winter services if more capacity required
Stena can pull vessels from other routes or charter additional tonnage from Stena RoRo
BF have a huge fleet including Connemara and Etretat laid up and can be called upon
Cldn can increase services with revised fleet deployment

I think the purpose of the OP's thread is that a sense of urgency should be brought to bear on all concerned stakeholders as the impression I get is that the IRHA is clearly worried about a lack of preparation on the ground in the event of a possible "no deal" scenario once the BREXIT transition period ends on 31st December which is about three months away.

Supply and demand is a given however; business needs to continue unhindered or at least with all of the mitigation measures in place as from January 1st if necessary as Ireland inc. will only suffer yet further economic disaster otherwise and we could do without it after the whole COVID-19 crisis. I just hope the Irish government and the EU have a satisfactory Plan B at the ready.

(For the record, I am not associated with the IRHA or any ferry operator).

I just hope the Irish government and the EU have a satisfactory Plan B at the ready.

The UK is (supposed) to join the Common Transit Convention on departure from the EU, how that will work in practice remains to be seen.

Ontop of that, acording to the Department of Transport, there is suficient capacity with IF, Stena, BF and CLdN in the event of the loss of the land bridge corssings via the UK.
Since that assessment, The W.B Yeats has arrived in Dublin (costing ICG ?144 million euro), Stena Vinga has replaced Stena Nordica boosting capacity in Rosslare, and CLdN have invested heavily in ships operating between Cork and Dublin and the contenant.

The actual question we need to ask is have the IRHA done any research, or are they just kicking up a fuss as they don't want to pay for longer crossings?

The actual question we need to ask is have the IRHA done any research, or are they just kicking up a fuss as they don't want to pay for longer crossings?
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Last time I heard an IRHA spokesperson interviewed on radio, they seemed to be expressing concern about delays, particularly with certain perishable goods like fresh food produce, getting to the stores on time. If they miss certain windows the produce has less time on shelves and ends up becoming past it's sell by dates and is no longer commercially useful. Longer journey and delays at ports in a disorderly scenario could lead to drivers being at risk if they are having to drive beyond their permitted number of hours per day. One could hardly blame this body for articulating their concerns to the media ahead of this important deadline looming.