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Old B+I Line Office to Become Part of Mixed Dublin Docklands Redevelopment

5th November 2017

#TheB+ILine - Following Afloat's focus on the former City of Dublin Steam Packet, the series continues with other Dublin based Irish Sea 'steamer-packet' companies and their legacy of architectural heritage and ferries, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The ornate crest of the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company is found on the preserved facade that belonged to a former building where the head office stood for 100 years on 15 Eden Quay. It is from this building that its successor, the British and Irish Steam Packet Company (B and I) established in 1836, had also carried out business along with other locations that included a downriver site across the Liffey along Sir John Rogersons Quay.

At this quay is where the former B+I steam-packet office which is a listed three storey building is currently undergoing redevelopment in Dublin's Docklands. The red brick building includes the date 1909 and also carved in stone but above the first floor is the company name 'British and Irish Steam Packet Co. Ltd'. Noting a further second top floor is incorperated in the roof.

Developer, Marlet is working at the 1.7 acre site of the disused steam packet building that includes an adjoining corner site on Lime Street where demolition and site clearance has been underway. The site represents the last available in the southside of the Docklands special development zone (SDZ) where Marlet according to the Irish Times plan to construct offices and 100 apartments at an estimated cost of €100m. 

The old B+I building will be a reminder to the once fourishing shipping trade in this part of inner city port that lined the Liffey until regular shipping declined in the early 1990's. This was in the trade of shipping stout to Britain using a pair of Guinness tankers, The Lady Patricia and Miranda Guinness. The brewing family have a connection with the origins of British an Irish S.P.

The British and Irish Steam Packet was formed by Dublin shareholders and among the original investors, Arthur Guinness, son of the founder of the now world famous stout brewed upriver at St. James Gate. At the end of 1836, the B and I opened a service connecting both the capitals of Dublin and London which took four days. The passage in both directions included an en route call to Plymouth, which later changed to Falmouth.

The Relationship With P&O 

Another new company was formed in 1837, The Peninsula Steam Navigation Company which had on its board, members of the City of Dublin Steam Packet (successor B+I Line). This relationship led to the formation of The Peninsular and Orient Steam Navigation Company, in what we know today as the world famous 'P&O'.

The company which was sold off in modern times is actually divided into two completely separate businesses, P&O Cruises which are a subsidiary of US cruise giant Carnival Corporation base in Miami, Florida. As for the other 'P&O' that refers to P&O Ferries which are owned by Dubai Ports (DP World). In this 180th anniversary year, they operate services that include those on the Irish Sea, Dublin-Liverpool and Larne-Cairnryan.

Returning to earlier times, major changes for the steam-packets were to follow both in terms of ships and the companies that run them. Firstly, the transition from paddle steamer to propellor made operations more reliabe and efficient and notably the outbreak of World War One. This led to a massive upheavel in the shipping world as in 1919 several Irish and British companies amalgamated to form Coast Lines Ltd.

Both the City of Dublin S.P.Co and the British and Irish S.P.Co became part of the group that was Coast Lines. So ending the era of the City of Dublin S.P. Company. Its successor the British and Irish S.P.Co became the Irish state owned and renamed B+I Line in 1965 having been sold by Coast Lines.

The Sir John Rogersons Quay office were not the only premises of the B+I as allluded as when the port developed downriver during the 1960's new offices were constructed close to the port's first ro-ro ferryport terminal, the latter since demolished. Currently on this site stands Terminal 2, where Stena Line provide services to Holyhead. Predecessors, Sealink British Ferries and Sealink/British Rail were then the rivals of the B+I Line.

Under state ownership, B+I operated several Irish Sea ferry routes linking Dublin to Liverpool and also later to Holyhead and between Cork and south Wales. Firstly, using Swansea then a switch to Pembroke Dock. The longer Celtic Sea crossings out of Cork were however abandoned with the Irish port changed in 1980 with a new Rosslare-Pembroke Dock route.

B&I Line 150th Anniversary & New Look

In the year of the company's 150th anniversary, a rebranding exercise took place during 1986 with a new look. This subtly involved replaced the company's trading name '+' symbol to that of an ampersand, hence the B&I Line emerged along with a new corporate livery scheme for the ferries.

The first ferry to recieve the new livery of three shades of blue, is personally recalled having observed the M.V. Leinster (built 1981) arrive into Dublin Bay from the Seaforth Welding Co. The business no longer remains though ex-employees established Merseyside Ship Repairers (MSR) located in Bootle Docks, Liverpool. 

The major refit costing the Irish taxpayer included new passenger facilties, however the news was not widely welcomed as the decision to have the contract in a UK yard was controversial. Previously, ferries had used an Irish facility at Dublin's dry-dock. Under different ownership, the strategic dry-dock closed earlier this year as the site is to facilitate part of Dublin Port's ABR project. 

State Sale to Private Ownership: ICG 

A container shipping division of B&I was also operating services from Dublin and Cork to mainland continental Europe at the time the Irish Government owned company was acquired in 1992. The ailing state shipping company was privitised by the Irish Continental Group (parent company) of Irish Ferries.

The sale of B&I Line led to a dramatic transformation as ICG launched a major capital investment in the ordering of new tonnage. This involved disposing ageing smaller tonnage and replaced by a succession of much larger custom built ferries to serve on the Irish Sea.

Such investment continues as Irish Ferries 55,000 gross tonnage newbuild, W.B. Yeats is currently under construction and due for delivery next year in July. The giant cruiseferry is to be launched on the Dublin-Cherbourg service during the summer, adding increased capacity and sailing frequency. In addition from September, W.B. Yeats joins Ulysses on the Dublin-Holyhead route. 

Published in Dublin Port
Jehan Ashmore

About The Author

Jehan Ashmore

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Jehan Ashmore is a marine correspondent, researcher and photographer, specialising in Irish ports, shipping and the ferry sector serving the UK and directly to mainland Europe. Jehan also occasionally writes a column, 'Maritime' Dalkey for the (Dalkey Community Council Newsletter) in addition to contributing to UK marine periodicals. 

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About Dublin Port 

Dublin Port is Ireland’s largest and busiest port with approximately 17,000 vessel movements per year. As well as being the country’s largest port, Dublin Port has the highest rate of growth and, in the seven years to 2019, total cargo volumes grew by 36.1%.

The vision of Dublin Port Company is to have the required capacity to service the needs of its customers and the wider economy safely, efficiently and sustainably. Dublin Port will integrate with the City by enhancing the natural and built environments. The Port is being developed in line with Masterplan 2040.

Dublin Port Company is currently investing about €277 million on its Alexandra Basin Redevelopment (ABR), which is due to be complete by 2021. The redevelopment will improve the port's capacity for large ships by deepening and lengthening 3km of its 7km of berths. The ABR is part of a €1bn capital programme up to 2028, which will also include initial work on the Dublin Port’s MP2 Project - a major capital development project proposal for works within the existing port lands in the northeastern part of the port.

Dublin Port has also recently secured planning approval for the development of the next phase of its inland port near Dublin Airport. The latest stage of the inland port will include a site with the capacity to store more than 2,000 shipping containers and infrastructures such as an ESB substation, an office building and gantry crane.

Dublin Port Company recently submitted a planning application for a €320 million project that aims to provide significant additional capacity at the facility within the port in order to cope with increases in trade up to 2040. The scheme will see a new roll-on/roll-off jetty built to handle ferries of up to 240 metres in length, as well as the redevelopment of an oil berth into a deep-water container berth.

Dublin Port FAQ

Dublin was little more than a monastic settlement until the Norse invasion in the 8th and 9th centuries when they selected the Liffey Estuary as their point of entry to the country as it provided relatively easy access to the central plains of Ireland. Trading with England and Europe followed which required port facilities, so the development of Dublin Port is inextricably linked to the development of Dublin City, so it is fair to say the origins of the Port go back over one thousand years. As a result, the modern organisation Dublin Port has a long and remarkable history, dating back over 300 years from 1707.

The original Port of Dublin was situated upriver, a few miles from its current location near the modern Civic Offices at Wood Quay and close to Christchurch Cathedral. The Port remained close to that area until the new Custom House opened in the 1790s. In medieval times Dublin shipped cattle hides to Britain and the continent, and the returning ships carried wine, pottery and other goods.

510 acres. The modern Dublin Port is located either side of the River Liffey, out to its mouth. On the north side of the river, the central part (205 hectares or 510 acres) of the Port lies at the end of East Wall and North Wall, from Alexandra Quay.

Dublin Port Company is a State-owned commercial company responsible for operating and developing Dublin Port.

Dublin Port Company is a self-financing, and profitable private limited company wholly-owned by the State, whose business is to manage Dublin Port, Ireland's premier Port. Established as a corporate entity in 1997, Dublin Port Company is responsible for the management, control, operation and development of the Port.

Captain William Bligh (of Mutiny of the Bounty fame) was a visitor to Dublin in 1800, and his visit to the capital had a lasting effect on the Port. Bligh's study of the currents in Dublin Bay provided the basis for the construction of the North Wall. This undertaking led to the growth of Bull Island to its present size.

Yes. Dublin Port is the largest freight and passenger port in Ireland. It handles almost 50% of all trade in the Republic of Ireland.

All cargo handling activities being carried out by private sector companies operating in intensely competitive markets within the Port. Dublin Port Company provides world-class facilities, services, accommodation and lands in the harbour for ships, goods and passengers.

Eamonn O'Reilly is the Dublin Port Chief Executive.

Capt. Michael McKenna is the Dublin Port Harbour Master

In 2019, 1,949,229 people came through the Port.

In 2019, there were 158 cruise liner visits.

In 2019, 9.4 million gross tonnes of exports were handled by Dublin Port.

In 2019, there were 7,898 ship arrivals.

In 2019, there was a gross tonnage of 38.1 million.

In 2019, there were 559,506 tourist vehicles.

There were 98,897 lorries in 2019

Boats can navigate the River Liffey into Dublin by using the navigational guidelines. Find the guidelines on this page here.

VHF channel 12. Commercial vessels using Dublin Port or Dun Laoghaire Port typically have a qualified pilot or certified master with proven local knowledge on board. They "listen out" on VHF channel 12 when in Dublin Port's jurisdiction.

A Dublin Bay webcam showing the south of the Bay at Dun Laoghaire and a distant view of Dublin Port Shipping is here
Dublin Port is creating a distributed museum on its lands in Dublin City.
 A Liffey Tolka Project cycle and pedestrian way is the key to link the elements of this distributed museum together.  The distributed museum starts at the Diving Bell and, over the course of 6.3km, will give Dubliners a real sense of the City, the Port and the Bay.  For visitors, it will be a unique eye-opening stroll and vista through and alongside one of Europe’s busiest ports:  Diving Bell along Sir John Rogerson’s Quay over the Samuel Beckett Bridge, past the Scherzer Bridge and down the North Wall Quay campshire to Berth 18 - 1.2 km.   Liffey Tolka Project - Tree-lined pedestrian and cycle route between the River Liffey and the Tolka Estuary - 1.4 km with a 300-metre spur along Alexandra Road to The Pumphouse (to be completed by Q1 2021) and another 200 metres to The Flour Mill.   Tolka Estuary Greenway - Construction of Phase 1 (1.9 km) starts in December 2020 and will be completed by Spring 2022.  Phase 2 (1.3 km) will be delivered within the following five years.  The Pumphouse is a heritage zone being created as part of the Alexandra Basin Redevelopment Project.  The first phase of 1.6 acres will be completed in early 2021 and will include historical port equipment and buildings and a large open space for exhibitions and performances.  It will be expanded in a subsequent phase to incorporate the Victorian Graving Dock No. 1 which will be excavated and revealed. 
 The largest component of the distributed museum will be The Flour Mill.  This involves the redevelopment of the former Odlums Flour Mill on Alexandra Road based on a masterplan completed by Grafton Architects to provide a mix of port operational uses, a National Maritime Archive, two 300 seat performance venues, working and studio spaces for artists and exhibition spaces.   The Flour Mill will be developed in stages over the remaining twenty years of Masterplan 2040 alongside major port infrastructure projects.

Source: Dublin Port Company ©Afloat 2020.