John Lahart
Question:62. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his recent visit to the port of Dunkirk for the inauguration of the Irish terminal. [56377/21]
View answerThursday, 18 November 2021
Questions (62)
Written answers
The Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne T.D. visited Dunkirk on 10-11 October to participate in the inauguration of the Irish Terminal at the Port of Dunkirk, which is the base for the new DFDS direct maritime link to Rosslare. The main objectives of the visit were to underline the importance of both the direct routes and the landbridge for Ireland’s trade connectivity with the Single Market, to reinforce existing strong bilateral relations with France, Ireland’s closest EU neighbour, building on our ambitious Joint Plan of Action, and to consolidate relationships with the regional authorities in the Hauts-de-France region
The Dunkirk-Rosslare route opened on 2 January 2021 to cater for freight consignments moving directly from Ireland to mainland Europe and runs ten crossings a week. Dunkirk is a highly strategic location for Ireland’s exports to the European continent as it is ideally situated in close proximity to Paris, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Ireland’s freight capacity to continental EU ports has doubled in the past 18 months in response to significant market demand. A number of new or additional direct ferry links with increased capacity have come on stream and are seeing high demand, including to Cherbourg, Dunkirk, Zeebrugge, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Roscoff and Santander. Figures from the Irish Maritime Development Office show that weekly roll-on / roll-off (RoRo) freight capacity to continental EU ports has doubled in the past 18 months and is at unprecedented levels. Similarly, load-on / load-off (LoLo) volumes in the first half of 2021 increased by 10% compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, and are at their highest level since 2007. This increase in services demonstrates the commitment of the shipping companies to the Irish market
During the visit, the Minister also visited a manufacturing plant owned by Ecocem, an Irish company situated in the port of Dunkirk that produces high performance cements. Ecocem is one of the leading Irish companies in France that has grown its business through investment in the Hauts-de-France region and the Port of Dunkirk.
In parallel to supporting the development of direct maritime routes, the Minister and the Government continue to support the smooth flow of goods across the UK landbridge, including working closely with French counterparts.
Question No. 63 answered with question No. 59.