Holyhead, Wales: Brexit has reduced traffic through Holyhead and Fishguard by 30%, according to Stena Line.
Ian Davies, head of Stena’s UK ports, said the fall was due to the post-Brexit trading relationship with the European Unionm rather than the pandemic.
Speaking on BBC Politics Wales, Davies said the start of the new UK-EU trading relationship hit its Welsh ports “quite hard”.
“In January, we saw a big drop off ranging from 50-60% of our freight volumes. As people really kind of got used to the new regimes and the new documentation that was required, I would say it caught quite a few, not so much in the haulage industry but their customers, unaware. But then things gradually improved, but we seem to have plateaued. Currently, we’re probably in the region of 30% down on our [pre-pandemic] 2019 volume.”
“If we look at the Irish Sea in its entirety, the freight volumes are roughly the same. What has been adversely affected is really the Welsh ports and the Welsh routes so far,” Davies said.
In October, Ireland’s foreign affairs minister said ferry routes avoiding Welsh ports by directly linking Ireland to mainland Europe was up from less than a dozen to 44 direct routes.
Brittany Ferries reported a 76% increase in the first eight months of 2021 in demand for direct freight links connecting Ireland with France, mirrored by a sharp rise in freight carried between Ireland and Spain. Brittany Ferries is regularly carrying more than 1,000 freight units a month on its seaborne route connecting Rosslare with Bilbao. In the first eight months of 2021, demand rose 70% compared with 2020 figures. There has also been increased use of unaccompanied trailers to reduce the cost of the longer crossing.
Dublin Port’s boss said this week Brexit spelled the end of the British land-bridge transit route.
Checks on some animal and plant-based goods are set to be undertaken in Border Control Posts from 1 July 2022. The Welsh government has plans to build a post outside Holyhead and one in south Wales to service Fishguard and Pembroke ports.
But neither will be ready on 1 July, leading Wales’ Economy Minister Vaughan Gething to announce that the Welsh government is “exploring interim arrangements at Welsh ferry ports to bridge the gap”.
A UK government spokesperson said: “We have made extensive preparations and continue to work closely with port authorities, devolved administrations and other partners to deliver the systems and infrastructure needed on time.”
Asked about the delay, Davies said: “They have interim measures that they are putting in place so they meet their criteria, so that doesn’t really affect us but what we would like is clarity going forward.
“But, we also know the UK government are talking about in 2025 a digital border. So, the question is why are we going through all this investment in physical infrastructure when in 2025 we have a digital border potentially coming?”
The interview with Ian Davies, head of Stena’s UK ports,is available on BBC iPlayer.
