Holyhead Port closure: Christmas parcels destined for Ireland stuck in Britain due to storm damage
An Post is to provide daily updates on parcel freight through Holyhead Port in Wales as fears grow for the timely arrival of Christmas parcels.
The port closed to marine traffic due to damage caused during Storm Darragh last weekend and, despite hopes for an early reopening, services have not yet resumed.
The backlog of parcels in Holyhead for An Post has been reduced from some 500,000 last Monday to about 150,000 on Thursday, by hauliers rerouting though other ports.
On Thursday night, An Post said that despite “much speculation”, no date has been verified as ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead remain cancelled.
An Post noted some UK retailers were working with ferry companies to secure alternative routes to Ireland and larger-capacity ferries have begun accessing Ireland from elsewhere in Wales, Scotland and Liverpool, via Rosslare, Larne and Dublin ports, resulting in a much decreased backlog of parcel trucks at Holyhead.
An Post expects to receive about 350,000 UK parcels by Friday night and said it had “the facilities, technology and staff across our Dublin, Portlaoise and Athlone hubs” to process and deliver the parcels. The company has hired an additional 1,400 casual workers for the busy Christmas period.
[ Holyhead Port damage: Have your Christmas present parcels been delayed?Opens in new window ]
Customers who ordered goods pre-Storm Darragh and have not received them should expect them to arrive in the coming days. However, An Post advised checking directly with the retailer involved. Those planning to order from UK retailers should check delivery dates for Ireland – many firms have secured working routes into Ireland, though dispatch times from the UK may take longer than normal.
An Post said it “advises customers to shop local with Irish retailers, and buy Irish”.
There will be nationwide parcel deliveries, and all post offices will remain open this Saturday, December 14th. An Post said it will up to Christmas Eve be delivering parcels received by December 21st.
In a statement on Friday evening, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan and Minister of State James Lawless said they had been briefed on the disruption to “explore all possible solutions” so that trade and passenger traffic can be accommodated.
“From this week, additional capacity is being provided from Rosslare. Irish Ferries is assigning the WB Yeats to replace the Isle of Innisfree this week. This represents approximately 100 per cent extra capacity,” they said.
“Stena Line Ferries has also introduced an additional sailing to Liverpool. 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, possibly two, based on scheduling.”
They have also suggested more Northern ports and routes could be considered.
