The Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales Ken Skates has announced a new multi stakeholder task force to help deliver a new strategy for the future of Holyhead Port. Ferry services at the port have been suspended since Storm Darragh at the start of December.
This followed damage to the Irish Ferries terminal during the storm with safety checks also required on the adjourning terminal used by Stena Line. Port authority Stena has announced that the Terminal 5 berth should be reopened by Thursday, January 16. However a timeline for for the damaged Terminal 3 berth, used by Irish Ferries, has not yet been given.
Welsh Government today said the task force will be led by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates alongside the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans. The group will work with the Irish Minister of State for Transport, James Lawless, the UK Government and other key players in the Welsh and Irish ports and ferry industry to ensure the port meets the future needs of both nations.
Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport, Ken Skates said: ”The potential impacts of the closure over the Festive period on freight and passenger movements were very significant, with time-sensitive seasonal goods needing to reach market and people travelling home to their families for Christmas. We worked tirelessly with the Irish Government, the UK Government, Welsh ports, ferry companies and others to secure alternative routes for goods and people to get where they needed to go and I want to thank everyone for their efforts.
Haulage lorries have been diverted to other ports following the storm damage at Holyhead
(Image: Hadyn Iball/North Wales Live)
“We have always recognised the strategic significance of Holyhead, by our support for the Anglesey Freeport and our support to ensure that the port’s breakwater can be maintained so that the port can remain usable for many decades to come. I am also grateful for the recent assurance from Stena Ports that they remain committed to Holyhead’s long-term future. But I think the time is now right for us to re-evaluate what Holyhead needs from all of its stakeholders over the longer term, to not just survive, but to thrive.
“I want the task force I am announcing today to consider the resilience of sea connectivity between Wales and Ireland more generally, so that these critical transport links can better withstand the challenges we expect from climate-driven changes in severe weather patterns and other hazards and threats. It is crucial we work together so we can secure a successful future for the Port of Holyhead.”
The Cabinet Secretary will announce further details of this task force shortly but expects to invite participation from all of the major players in the Welsh and Irish ports and ferry industry, local authorities, regional business representatives, logistics bodies and surface transport operators.