Iveco Daily FC fp ad.indd - Export & Freight

72shipping newsGrowth Continues at Warrenpoint HarbourTrade is continuing to grow at Warrenpoint Harbour, with the yearhaving got off to a good start following a highly successful 2010-2011when it reported its second highest ever traded tonnage.Warrenpoint Harbourmetres. Some 300 metres of quayare dredged to 7.5m below chartdatum, while the remainder aredredged top a depth of 5.45m, themaximum tidal range being 5.3m.As we mentioned, recent roadimprovements have brought theHarbour ‘closer’ to both Belfastand Dublin; indeed the port isnow just less than an hour’s driveaway from those major cities. Thatsaid, the Harbour is still pushingfor a link between the A2 andA1 to bypass Newry as it is seenas critical to the future continueddevelopment of the port.MarinaMeanwhile, the Harbour Authoritycontinues to work closely withNewry and Mourne Council onplans to develop a 200 berthyachting marina adjacent tothe breakwater. A feasibilitystudy has been undertaken,with positive outcomes, and anapplication for Planning permissionincluding an EnvironmentalImpact Assessment is underway.“We believe this project wouldpositively enhance existing facilitieson both sides of CarlingfordLough and while substantialfunding will be needed, it wouldgenerate great economic benefitsto the local Carlingford Lougheconomy, both north and south.”The proposal has local stakeholderssupport and official backingfrom Louth County Counciland The Loughs Agency, withWarrenpoint Harbour havingalready invested £2m in theproject, the total cost of which isexpected to be around £10m.A joint application for cross borderInterreg funding has already beensubmitted by Warrenpoint Harbour,Newry and Mourne DistrictCouncil and the Loughs Agency.Illustration of the proposedWarrenpoint MarinaProduct diversificationand greater efficiencies,together with majorinvestment in recent years, areclearly having a positive impacton the port, despite the ongoingdifficult recessionary conditions.After a trading year that saw thebest overall performance of anyIrish Port, an increase in RoRotrade, the establishing of a newcontainer service, the openingof a deep water quay and otherbusiness gains, 2012 is shapingup to be another buoyantperiod for the Harbour whichis a vital economic driver in theNewry and Mourne region.One of the big attractions foroperators, no doubt, is theHarbour’s location, situatedmidway between Dublin andBelfast. It has excellent roadlinks to the major populationcentres of Ireland and with anever improving roads network,delivery times to all destinationsare constantly being reduced.The regular scheduled services, inparticular the ro-ro service to theNorth England, container servicesto Britain and the general cargoservices to Scandinavia also meansChief Executive Peter Conwaythat Warrenpoint is the ideal centrefor onward distribution to the maineconomic markets of the Britishmainland and Continental Europe.Seatruck Ferries, of course,continues to play a major role inthe Harbour’s success story. “Thecompany has been performingvery well,” says WarrenpointHarbour Chief Executive PeterConway. “There seems tobe a growing trend towardsunaccompanied freight acrossthe Irish Sea and that is having apositive impact on our business.”And he added: “The CardiffContainer Line, which replaced ourEuropean service a couple of yearsago, also continues to grow, andsince the beginning of this year wehave also benefited from anothercontainer service to Bristol.”Over the past year, there hasbeen an increase in both timberand steel; it would seem timberimporters in particular have beenfavouring Warrenpoint in recenttimes. There’s also been an increasein recyclable exports at the portwhich currently handles close on500 truck movements per dayRenewablesWarrenpoint Harbour is alsobeginning to benefit from therenewables sector. “As NorthernIreland’s second port, we are nowpromoting ourselves as an idealbase for Off Shore Renewables,as more of a service centre asopposed to construction.“With new wind farms proposedfor off the County Down andCounty Louth coasts, we areclearly well placed to service thesesites,” comments Peter. “Forpeople considering relocatinghere, too, the region has alot to offer even outside ofbusiness, such as top class sportand leisure facilities, summerfestivals and a culture centre, allof which should be attractive topeople moving into the area.”Warrenpoint offers seven berthswith a total quay length of 750Shipping News 3pgs.indd 72 19/03/2012 17:00