We are delighted to attend this afternoon. The presentation before members deals with our activities, terminal locations, trade performance, the development drivers and their context, our planning framework, the oyster bank planning application decision which the Chairman has asked us to address and the way forward. It also contains details of a recent economic contribution survey which we undertook. We deal with a major issue facing the Port of Cork, namely, the development of the docklands in Cork and the way infrastructure is being advanced at a cost to the port. That deals with something about which the Chairman asked in the past, namely, new opportunities, particularly associated with motorways of the sea — ATMOS, WEST-MOS — and other such issues. We will touch on the issue of corporate social responsibility, a matter with which I am sure all Deputies and Senators are concerned.
We are unique in Ireland in that our two ports, Dublin and Cork, can handle all five modes — bulk liquids, bulk solids, break-bulk, lift on — lift off and roll on — roll off. From our perspective, located on the south coast, we wish to emphasise the opportunities we are convinced are available for the Port of Cork as a location in the development of expanded trading links with the west coast of the United Kingdom but, more particularly, northern Spain and western France. I am showing a satellite photograph of Cork Harbour. It sets out the facilities we have available in the harbour and the depth of water at each location. The next slide shows the city quays where we handle approximately 1 million tonnes of cargo per annum. To this day it is an active and significant contributor to the viability of the company. An activity level of 1 million tonnes in a 10 million tonnes cargo is significant. At that location we handle break-bulk, both oils and chemicals.
Cork City Council has significant proposals for the development of the docklands area. The Port of Cork Company is supportive of the docklands development initiative. We have worked and will continue to work to our best endeavours to ensure it happens. However, from the point of view of the Port of Cork, these are assets of the company and, as directors of the company, we have an obligation to ensure nothing is done to undermine or compromise the value of these assets which are being challenged. Our viability is being questioned by the advancement of work on two bridges undertaken by Cork City Council. From our perspective, the proposals made by the council present a serious challenge and represent a punt by it in favour of redevelopment but at a cost to the port and all the economic issues associated with it. It dates back hundreds of years with a well established trading pattern.
The next slide shows activity at our container terminal on the eastern approaches to Cork city. It is a very extensive land mass and will be the key to funding the replacement facilities we are confident we will be able to deliver to the economy of Cork, Munster and the entire country in the years ahead. From our perspective, a key component of our business is container traffic. We also handle trade cars, bulk solids and bulk liquids at the Tivoli facilities.
The next slide shows Ringaskiddy, near the mouth of the harbour, where the depth of water in the basin is 13.5 m, which is unique in Ireland. We also have facilities for roll on — roll off vessels, bulk solids, bulk liquids and project cargo which in recent times is coming more to the fore.
