Freight News, Sea

Ireland will need more port capacity, says Dublin

[ December 2, 2020   //   Chris ]

Additional capacity will be needed at other east coast ports to handle traffic that Dublin cannot as it approaches its ultimate capacity, says Dublin port in a new discussion paper.

‘Options for the greenfield development of additional east coast port capacity’ sets out the nature and scale of the development challenge if the targets of Dublin’s Masterplan 2040 are not attained and if additional capacity is not provided in other east coast ports, assuming current growth projections come to pass.

This would mean building a new port at a greenfield site on the east coast of Ireland ready for operation in just 20 years’ time. Dublin Port estimates that a new port would cost €3.9-4.2 billion to construct (at 2020 prices), assuming the extreme challenges of financing and securing the necessary consents to deliver a project of this magnitude, or “megaproject” could even be achieved.

Dublin Port must complete all of the projects outlined in Masterplan 2040 to deliver an annual throughput capacity of 77 million gross tonnes by 2040. Critically, this will require planning permission to be secured for the third and final Masterplan Project, known as the 3FM Project.

Dublin Port however rejects the long-held view that Dublin Port itself should be moved from its current location.

Tags: Dublin Port Company