Dublin port expansion is rejected
Dublin Port Company’s plans for expansion have been squashed by Dublin City Council, which turned down its application for a 21ha developmentthat would have increased capacity by 50%.
The rejection comes 18 months after Port of Cork’s application for a new terminal was also turned down.
The €200m (US2m) Dublin Gateway development was to include four deepwater berths – two ro-ro, two container – as well as 220,000sq metres of dredging in the north eastern part of the port.
Although the application was heard under Ireland’s Critical Infrastructure Act, which is meant to consider developments deemed essential for Ireland’s economy, the threat to the River Tolka estuary, which has been proposed as a Special Protection Area under the Birds Directive, was thought to outweigh any potential benefits of the scheme.
Dublin Port Company said it would review the decision and examine other ways in which it could achieve a much-needed increase in capacity.
Many in the shipping community see the rejection as a major obstacle to Ireland’s success in the world’s markets, as Dublin badly needs to improve facilities for the bigger class of shortsea container ships. Some even hope Ireland could attract a transatlantic carrier to its shores.
“Ireland has been losing out (in the international market) in recent years,” says John Whelan, CEO of the Irish Exporters’ Association. “The Dublin port development offered an opportunity to halt the decline.
“We are concerned about the state’s lack of investment in ports. The government needs to understand the changing nature of shipping – ships are getting larger and need more space, but they are also more environmentally friendly.”
The rejection comes 18 months after Port of Cork’s application for a new terminal was also turned down.
The €200m (US2m) Dublin Gateway development was to include four deepwater berths – two ro-ro, two container – as well as 220,000sq metres of dredging in the north eastern part of the port.
Although the application was heard under Ireland’s Critical Infrastructure Act, which is meant to consider developments deemed essential for Ireland’s economy, the threat to the River Tolka estuary, which has been proposed as a Special Protection Area under the Birds Directive, was thought to outweigh any potential benefits of the scheme.
Dublin Port Company said it would review the decision and examine other ways in which it could achieve a much-needed increase in capacity.
Many in the shipping community see the rejection as a major obstacle to Ireland’s success in the world’s markets, as Dublin badly needs to improve facilities for the bigger class of shortsea container ships. Some even hope Ireland could attract a transatlantic carrier to its shores.
“Ireland has been losing out (in the international market) in recent years,” says John Whelan, CEO of the Irish Exporters’ Association. “The Dublin port development offered an opportunity to halt the decline.
“We are concerned about the state’s lack of investment in ports. The government needs to understand the changing nature of shipping – ships are getting larger and need more space, but they are also more environmentally friendly.”
