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Shannon Foynes Port Company interim chief looks forward to stronger performance in 2010 |
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Written by David Raleigh
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Wednesday, 03 February 2010 |
THE Interim Chief Executive of the Shannon Foynes Port Company, Pat Keating, has told an Oireachtas Transport Committee that the downturn in the company’s tonnage throughput appears to have bottomed out and the company is looking forward to a stronger 2010.
Welcoming a delegation from the transport committee, which visited Foynes and Limerick ports as part of the Committee’s ongoing review of Ireland’s ports on Monday last, Mr Keating said that there were already very positive signs that the Port Company had endured the worst of the downturn.
“The past eighteen months have been very challenging for all Irish ports, with a steady decline in cargo due to the global downturn. However, there were strong signs for Shannon Foynes Port Company, at least, in the last quarter when we saw an 80% rise in cargo on the previous three months, that the worst has passed. It is still very much early days yet but January has also been strong so we are hopeful that we are seeing the beginning of the end of the downturn,” Mr Keating added.
The Shannon Foynes Port Company is Ireland’s largest bulk Port Company, and despite the difficult past 12 months, Pat Keating said the Mid-West firm remained profitable and handled annually, on average, up to 10,000,000 tonnes of cargo from 800 vessels, including the largest into Ireland (up to 200,000 tonnes).
“The company is also playing a very important role in helping Ireland build a more sustainable energy future, with up to 50% of all turbines imported into Ireland coming through our ports. At a roads infrastructure level we also showed our significance to not just the Mid-West but the entire country in recent weeks as 23,000 tonnes of salt was imported through Foynes and Limerick. This salt was distributed to local authorities throughout the country and was critical to keeping Ireland open for business during the prolonged cold snap early last month and more came in through our ports last week to boost reserves for further drops in temperatures and hazardous road conditions.”
Among the company’s strongest performing sectors is, dry bulk traffic (animal feeds, oil, minerals, etc) and in 2008 it handled approximately 58% of bulk traffic into Ireland.
Keating also took the opportunity of the Oireachtas Join Committee on Transport’s visit to call for the streamlining of foreshore planning applications process.
“As things stand, you have to go through the normal planning process before you can go for foreshore planning and together that could result in a delay of two to three years. What we would ask is that, at the least, foreshore planning would run in tandem with regular planning. It is imperative that we, or any other port company for that matter, do not face any unnecessary delays when it comes to delivering essential infrastructure,” he added.
Another ‘key issue’ for the local port company is road and rail connection to the lower Shannon Estuary.
“We have one of the finest deepwater estuaries in the world but our growth potential is hamstrung by inadequate road and rail connectivity. The current N69, Limerick to Foynes route, is not capable of sustaining a significant increase in heavy goods traffic and the rail line connecting Foynes to Limerick, while still in place, is disused and in need of restoration,” Mr Keating said.
He added: “Virtually every representative body and economic forum across the region has highlighted improving road and rail connections to the Shannon Estuary as a priority in the knowledge that the Estuary is such an outstanding resource. But investment will be extremely difficult to source until the infrastructure is in place.”
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