Holyhead Port to reopen fully after Storm Darragh damage
"It's the busiest time of year and is really important and timely," said Wales' First Minister Eluned Morgan.It comes as schoolchildren in Wales will finish their term within the next few days while most Republic of Ireland schools have already closed for the summer.More than 1.5m people pass through Holyhead every year making it the most popular sea route between the UK mainland and the Republic of Ireland.
Why did Holyhead Port close?
Holyhead's operators have said its closure was after successive ferries made "contact" with berthing terminals at the port just before the height of Storm Darragh in December 2024.The incidents shut both of Holyhead's terminals because of the "interconnecting nature" of the support structures as the terminals run parallel to each other.It blocked the busiest and shortest route between the UK mainland and Republic and Ireland over the busy Christmas and new year period.The 40-day closure, before one berth reopened on 16 January, caused chaos for passengers and truck drivers using the four daily services of both Stena Line and Irish Ferries as people and freight had to find alternative routes over the Irish Sea.
A boss of Stena Line, which runs the port, gave evidence to a Welsh Parliament committee and said berths were designed to "take contact but very slow-speed contact"."These contacts, maybe of a different magnitude, happen all the time," Stena's head of UK Ports Ian Davies told the Senedd's Economy and Trade Committee.The port or ferry companies say they would not elaborate on how these specific contacts closed the port despite both the Welsh and UK governments asking."Those incidents are now subject to an insurance claim and I can give no further details without prejudicing that insurance claims at this time I'm afraid," Mr Davies told the UK Parliament's Welsh Affairs Committee earlier this year.Committee chair Ruth Jones MP replied: "That is very frustrating for us but, obviously, we understand where you are coming from." When Mr Davies was before the Welsh Parliament's economy committee, he was asked by chair Andrew RT Davies was it "not necessarily the storm caused the damage, but the actual seamanship?"Mr Davies replied to the Senedd committee: "All we can say is there's an ongoing investigation into the actual cause, and part of that is a claim going on."
Ferries that use Holyhead include the 50,000-tonnes Ulysses, which was the world's largest car ferry when it launched in 2000.Holyhead's terminal five reopened on 16 January and the port has been able to operate its normal daily number of sailings - eight arrivals and eight departures.But to accommodate that, both Irish Ferries and Stena Line had to adjust their timetables to synchronise arrivals and departures at the only operational berth.Stena told the Senedd the damage had happened to part of terminal three, which is "predominantly" used by Irish Ferries.Neither the port operators or the ferry companies would confirm who was taking action against whom. Both Stena Line and Irish Ferries have both declined to comment.The berthing incidents happened during Storm Darragh - but before the red weather warning for wind kicked in at 03:00 GMT on 7 December.According to Met Office data, three of the UK's five strongest gusts during Storm Darragh were in north Wales.That included wind speeds of 79mph (127km/h) at Valley - about eight miles (13km) inland from Holyhead - which is the highest recorded gust on Anglesey for 27 years.
The Health and Safety Executive did not investigate the incidents, while the Marine Accident Investigation Branch made some "preliminary enquiries" into the "maritime aspects" of the crash.But added in a statement: "The information gathered does not indicate any significant safety issues that would necessitate further investigation at this time."Mr Davies said there was a "onward-going investigation" about the incidents and the port and ferry operators would review what happened once Holyhead was fully reopened.
Why has it taken so long to fully reopen Holyhead?
Seven months may seem like a long time without half of its berthing capacity but port bosses explained replacing Holyhead's damaged infrastructure was complex."The berths are a series of very large steel pile structures... roughly 2m (6ft 7in) in diameter and 50m (164 ft 1in) in total length and driven into the seabed," Mr Davies of Stena explained in his Senedd evidence.
He said the affected structure on terminal three "partially collapsed and had fallen at an angle" so engineers needed to charter specialist barges to get to the site and remove the fallen 120-tonne pile.Stena needed to design, order, check and fit their new pile and its associated mechanisms."It was hoped we could replace the pile in the same pile socket, like replacing a false tooth, but that was not possible," added Mr Davis.Engineers have had to drive the new pile into the sea bed and test before declaring the berth ready for passenger ferries."To be frank, seven months is a short amount of time," said maritime expert Dr Stavros Karamperidis.
"The analogy is having a car accident, insurance companies investigate and might offer money, the other company might dispute that and it goes back and forth."I'm sure the authorities have all the information but you can't give that publicly," added Dr Karamperidis, head of Plymouth University's maritime transport research group.
How important is Holyhead Port?
At just over 100 miles (161km) between Holyhead and Dublin, the three-hour and 15 minute crossing from north Wales is the quickest route between the UK mainland and the Republic of Ireland.With more than 400,000 lorries and 400,000 cars a year using it every year, Holyhead is the second busiest passenger ferry port to Dover.It is Wales' biggest international transport hub with almost double the amount of annual passengers of Wales' only major airport in Cardiff.
"It is one of the large corridors that connects Wales and the UK to Ireland because of the shortness and frequency of the crossing," Mr Davies told Parliament."It adds a dynamic, especially to the just-in-time logistics industry, which perhaps other corridors do not have. I cannot overemphasise how important it is. It is critical."He added night ferries could create freight lorry convoys of up to three miles (5km) long, such is the strategic importance to both the UK and Republic of Ireland."Holyhead is a huge economic driver for us here in Ireland because so much of our exports by sea go through Holyhead into the UK," said Irish government Minister Sean Canney.
He said more than a third of roll-on, roll-off traffic traffic to the Republic of Ireland came through Holyhead, emphasising the importance part of another country is to his nation."Both countries rely on Holyhead for stuff coming in and out between the UK and Ireland, it's a huge vein across the Irish Sea," added Canney.Experts estimate the economic impact of Holyhead Port and its supply chain in north Wales is more than £100m a year with 1,000 jobs locally relying on it.
Bangor University's senior economics lecturer Edward Jones also told Parliament an "additional 1,600 to 1,700 jobs at a national level is dependent" on Holyhead.A Senedd Committee heard in April the value of trade going through Holyhead during the complete closure was almost £500m less than the year before.Both the Welsh and Irish government also hoped everyone involved could "learn lessons" on how they react to incidents like this.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Is THIS the most overpriced semi-detached in Britain? House hunters stunned after couple put three-bed home on sale for £2M over average asking price... but neighbours say it is worth it
A couple have infuriated house hunters online after listing their home for almost £2million over the average sale price of their street. Residents reacted with 'shock' and 'disbelief' after the ordinary looking property in Hove, East Sussex was put on the market for a staggering £2.5million. The asking price for the smartly presented property has caused consternation among potential buyers who have claimed it is 'overpriced.' They claim that although the red-brick home has a sought-after seaside location, it actually backs onto a block of high rise flats and sits on a busy road which has a high crime rate. The owners - who are in their late 80s - bought the property in East Sussex in 2010 for £750,000 but have now put it on the market for more than three times that amount. According to property experts Purple Bricks, the average cost of a house on the street where the couple are looking to sell is £600k. One resident told MailOnline: 'I'm shocked. It's incredible how much house prices have risen in the last 15 years but I'd never expect a house to be on the market for so much - it's a King's ransom. 'It's unbelievable really. I understand it is in a desirable location but this road is very busy all the time and the back garden looks out over the flats - not exactly a beautiful view.' The house sits just 100 yards from the pebble beach. The elderly couple are understood to be selling it so they can downsize away from the seafront. Hove is a well-heeled and desirable location to live where the average price of a detached house is £846,600. Neighbour Barbara Crafts, said: 'They are a lovely couple but they're getting on. 'Although the house only has three bedrooms it is deceptively large and the bedrooms are huge and have walk-in dressing rooms.' Mrs Crafts, who is in her 70s, who lives in a spacious three-bedroom flat on the street, said: 'Although it looks quite ordinary from the front it is a lovely house and very spacious and they've spent some money doing it up. 'I've lived here for around eight years and my children who live up north are always telling me to sell. They tell me I could buy a fantastic property near them for just a fraction.' The house, which boasts a drive and a garage, also has a study, dining room, sitting room, four bathrooms and an attic games and media room. Rachel Dent, a mother-of-two who lives in a two-bedroom flat on the street, said: 'That is an awful lot of money but that house is like a tardis - it is absolutely massive on the inside. There is 250sqm of living space, which is huge. 'It is deceptive as from the outside it looks like it could be in any street in Britain but it goes back a long away and is really very big. It might not have the wow factor on the outside but the inside is a different story.' The property is immaculately turned out inside with a host of homely fittings Viewers checking the online listing questioned how the 'modest' home could command such a high price. One said: 'Those flats overlooking the back would be an instant no for me even if dirt cheap. Half the house is the master suite. Seems unnecessary.' Another said: '£2.5m is insane money for this. Surely its not worth even close to that. Even at half, it would be steep, no?' Another viewer said: 'How much!? And why does that main bedroom need two dressing rooms and such a huge bathroom?! Should have just made one of the dressing rooms a guest room instead.' Yet another said: 'Faaaaar too of property faces west, back faces east. Front faces a row of guest houses/hotels including a God awful 60's(?) 5 story guest house directly opposite. 'Back faces an 11 story block of flats. So, no privacy and no sunlight in the morning or evening.' It's an ambitious asking price, but not the most audacious in recent memory. Last year, a Russian millionaire who tried to sell a London 'council house' for £3.5m was forced to concede defeat and make a drastic u-turn. The ordinary-looking four-bed suburban property had attracted widespread mockery due to its eye-watering price tag when it was listed last year. But owner Lukov Nikolov refused to bow down claiming the fee was justified because he spent £1.4m renovating the property. When MailOnline visited the house, more than a year after it was put on the market, neighbours revealed the wealthy businessman had been forced 'move in himself' after failing to find a buyer. The house was built in the late 1950s and used by police officers relocating to work in London for the Met Police. But in every other respect it's equivalent to nearby council housing in style and size. Despite being unable to find househunters with deep enough pockets, Mr Nikolov then listed another property on the same road for £3m. One resident told MailOnline: 'He's got another one too, just up the road, which has been on the market for a while. 'The [second property] is huge. It's got a basement, a cinema and all the rest of it. They've probably doubled the square footage. 'I think he probably moves between them.' Mr Nikolov bought the first property for £1.2m in 2015 and began to renovate inside. He was able to dig down and create a new spacious basement 'flooded with natural light', which increased the properties' square footage by a third. The home now deceptively spreads over 3650sq ft of interior space and has four floors as well as its own cinema room, which, in the view of Mr Nikolov justified the £2.3million increase in value. Mr Nikolov's second property was bough for the cheaper fee of £878,000 before renovating it too. Properties in Canonbury sold for an overall average price of £934,290 in the last few years, according to RightMove, with the majority of sales being flats, which sold for an average price of £633,512. Terraced properties sold for an average of £1,659,972, with semi-detached properties fetching £3,873,333 - placing Mr Nikolov's property slightly below average.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
UK could save £5bn if Bailey changes course on debt sales
Taxpayers would save up to £5bn next year if Andrew Bailey overhauls the Bank of England's controversial programme of bond sales, analysts have calculated. Deutsche Bank has said Rachel Reeves would be spared from transferring billions of pounds to Threadneedle Street if it stopped selling long-term debt amid a dramatic drop in bond prices. The Bank is currently unwinding the stockpile of gilts it amassed during the financial crisis and lockdown, when it created almost £900bn to boost the economy. When interest rates were at record lows of 0.1pc during the pandemic, the Bank earned far more on its returns from government bonds than it had to pay in interest to commercial banks. However, this reversed dramatically once interest rates started to rise. The Bank is now also actively selling gilts back to the market as part of so-called quantitative tightening (QT), crystallising billions of pounds of losses for the taxpayer.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Trump says US is close to reaching a trade deal with China
TURNBERRY, Scotland, July 27 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday his administration was close to reaching a trade deal with China, but gave no other details. "We're very close to a deal with China. We really sort of made a deal with China, but we'll see how that goes," Trump told reporters at the start of a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland.
