At the time of the Minister's announcement in May, Mr. Varadkar indicated his hope that port activities would continue at Dundalk following the transfer and of a possibility that the port could return to local control, in co-operation with private sector operators. Today's announcement means that the under the terms of the agreement O'Hanlon & Sons Contractors Ltd., a local company, will be responsible for all commercial and operational matters in Dundalk Port.
Commenting on the announcement, Mr. Eamonn O'Reilly, Chief Executive, Dublin Port Company said: "I am delighted today to be able to confirm that we have entered into an agreement with O'Hanlon & Sons Contractors Ltd. to operate the Dundalk Port. This is a unique development in the Irish port sector but I believe that if Dundalk is to have a future it is best to have local private sector interests empowered to carve out a future for themselves, for the port and for everybody who depends on the port."