Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD was at Dublin Port’s Substation today to mark the Dublin Construction Skills and Retrofitting Programme crossing 1,000 graduates.

The Port-based three-week course, which St Andrew’s Resource Centre runs in partnership with Inner City Renewal Group, is focused on helping the unemployed upskill quickly and find gainful employment in the construction industry.

Today saw ten people graduate, bringing the total number of graduates since the course was launched in 2017 to over 1,000.

Construction Skills Course by Numbers:

• 1,003 people have graduated.
• 60% of graduates start a job within the first month.
• Female interest in the course is growing - 10% of graduates in 2023 were women.
• 90% of candidates complete the three-week course.
• 102 courses have been completed since 2017.

The intense course, for which all candidates are issued with a full set of workwear, prepares recent graduates with a diverse set of qualifications and experience for employment on construction sites. It consists of two main components: a Construction Skills Certification at Level 3 and a Retrofitting Assistant Certification.

Both components involve a placement process, and they work closely with each individual candidate to facilitate their entry into the construction industry. The primary objective of the programme is to have 60% of participants gain employment in the construction sector, with the majority of them securing jobs within four weeks of completing the course. Notable companies that have hired graduates include John Sisk & Son, Careys Building & Civil Engineering, Walls Construction, Alufix, and Clarke Concrete.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD said: “The Dublin Construction Skills and Retrofitting programme is a shining example of how innovative training initiatives can have a profound impact on individuals’ lives and the local community. With over 1,000 graduates, this course is not just about numbers, it's about creating opportunities, empowering people and driving economic growth. It’s heartening to see the construction industry embracing and benefitting from this skilled workforce. Congratulations to all involved in this remarkable achievement.”

Barry O’Connell, Chief Executive, Dublin Port Company, said: “Dublin Port Company are extremely proud to play host to the Construction Skills Course. The Port has long-standing ties with St Andrew’s and we are delighted to facilitate the great work they are doing for the local community and beyond. To pass 1,000 graduates is a phenomenal achievement and a lot of credit must go to all involved.”

The curriculum is tailored to individual needs and capabilities. The range of modules includes:

• Induction
• SOLAS Safe Pass
• Manual Handling
• Abrasive Wheels
• MEWP (Scissors and Boom)
• Working at Heights
• QQI Level 3 Construction Skills
• Introduction to Block Laying – 3 days (onsite)
• Introduction to Plumbing and Plastering – 3 days (onsite)
• Introduction to Carpentry and Decoration – 3 days (onsite)

The inception of the programme can be traced back to a collaborative effort involving the Department of Social Protection, St. Andrews Resource Centre and Dublin City Council. This initiative arose in response to the need for a local workforce to support the construction of the incinerator site in Ringsend in 2016 and the Strategic Development Zones in Dublin Docklands. St. Andrews Resource Centre devised a strategy to facilitate the recruitment of local workers in the east side of the inner city.

Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris TD alongside Megan Pepper, graduate of the Dublin Port-based Construction Skills course, and Edel Currie (left), Community Engagement Manager at Dublin Port Company Photo: Conor Healy

Edel Currie, Community Engagement Manager, Dublin Port Company, said: “The course is truly a life-changing experience for some of the graduates. There are amazing stories of people, men and women, from the local community who have flourished in the construction industry off the back of this course. We have even seen some graduates working within the Port, so it gives us immense pride to see the difference it can make to people’s lives.”

Jim Hargis, Manager of the Education and Training Hub at St Andrew's Resource Centre, said: “We are immensely proud to reach 1,000 graduates at Dublin Port’s magnificent Substation today. The success of the project, and something that gives me great satisfaction, is that it is always evolving to ensure it meets employers’ needs. I would like to give a huge thanks to Dublin Port for giving us the platform to stage the course and supporting us.”

Dublin Port Company (DPC) has announced the opening of T4, a newly redeveloped RoRo freight terminal in the Port costing €127m, which was officially launched on Tuesday, November 07th by the Minister of State, Jack Chambers, TD.

Self-financed by DPC and delivered on time, and on budget, T4 marks a major milestone in the delivery of the ABR Project, the first of three major capital development projects under its Masterplan to futureproof Dublin Port’s cargo handling capacity to 2040.

Maximising existing lands to facilitate international trade

T4 will handle more than 220,000 RoRo units annually, which equates to over one-fifth of all RoRo units at Dublin Port based on 2022 volumes and more RoRo freight per annum than any other port in the Republic of Ireland.

T4’s capacity comes from 4.1ha of existing port lands having been reconfigured, creating more efficient space for handling European and UK unaccompanied RoRo units. It comes into operation at a time of growing demand for unaccompanied RoRo freight services (goods on trailers transported by ferry without a driver) to and from the greater Dublin market post-Brexit.

It has also enabled the opening of a new transhipment route to Santander.

T4, a new €127m freight terminal, at Dublin Port. It marks a major milestone in the delivery of the ABR Project, the first of three major capital development projects under Dublin Port Company’s Masterplan to futureproof Dublin Port’s cargo handling capacity to 2040. The terminal will handle more than 220,000 RoRo units annually, which equates to over one-fifth of all RoRo units at Dublin Port based on 2022 volumes and more RoRo freight per annum than any other port in the Republic of Ireland. Photo: Andrew Watchorn

Modern port infrastructure for next-generation ferries

T4 brings into operation 3km of new quay walls, upgrading Victorian-era port infrastructure to service direct routes between Dublin and Liverpool/Heysham by ferry operator Seatruck.

The work also involved the demolition of an old jetty, replaced with two best-in-class modern jetties of 270m each, that will accommodate the largest ferries measuring 240m in length and which have been future-proofed to allow for shore to ship power in the years ahead.

Launching T4, Minister of State, Jack Chambers, TD said; “I am delighted to be on-site today for the opening of T4 and to see first-hand the world-class facilities that are in place at Dublin Port.

“Dublin Port is Ireland’s largest freight and passenger port, handling approximately 51% of national tonnage. Its importance is even more pronounced in the unitised freight sector as it handles 71% of all Load-on/Load-off and 80% of all Roll-on/Roll-off tonnage in and out of the country.

Dublin Port is Ireland’s largest freight and passenger port, handling approximately 51% of national tonnage Photo: Afloat

“In line with its Masterplan, Dublin Port has been progressing the necessary infrastructure to provide for increases in throughput. T4 will greatly enhance Roll-on/Roll-off capabilities at the Port.

“As an island nation, sufficient capacity and the efficient and seamless operation of our ports are indispensable for the success of Ireland’s importers and exporters.”

Barry O’Connell, Chief Executive of Dublin Port Company, said; “Dublin is already one of the most efficient ports in Europe. With T4, we are driving even more efficiencies and facilitating growing customer demand for direct shipping routes between Dublin, the UK and Europe. O'Connell also discussed these plans in a recent Afloat podcast with Lorna Siggins here.

“Even with T4 now fully in operation, Dublin is running at 91% average capacity and therefore it is imperative that our plans to complete all three of our Masterplan 2040 projects continue as planned. “This will ensure we create the capacity needed to support the ongoing growth in the economy to 2040, while providing new public amenities that will support the growth of our city and neighbouring community for decades to come.”

Opening up the Port

Significantly the development of T4 has also facilitated the closure of an entrance onto East Wall Road paving the way for DPC’s Liffey Tolka Greenway project on East Wall Road to commence construction in 2024. This will see the transformation of the East Wall Road with a new dedicated 1.4km cycle and pedestrian route which will eventually form part of the 16.5km of cycleway / walkway planned as part of the overall Masterplan.

This is another important step in DPC's journey to open up Dublin Port as a safe and accessible venue for all to enjoy.

Dublin Port chief executive Barry O’Connell had previously worked in eight different countries for Coca-Cola before he took up his new post a year ago this November.

The port has been investing in community projects, including the refurbished substation on East Wall Road, funding a new boat for Stella Maris, and some 16km of walkways and cycleways – it has just secured planning permission for the Liffey-Tolka section.

Dublin Port Company CEO Barry O’Connell alongside Alicia Weafer, Trudi Pepper, Emma Gannon and Niamh Kane of the Stella Maris Rowing Club’s Under-16 Girls Team, who take to the water on their new coastal rowing boat, the St Laurence II, sponsored by Dublin Port Company. The boat is named after the original St Laurence, which was built, owned and competed in by Dublin Port workers in the 1950s Photo: Tommy Dickson

Is all this activity genuine engagement or simply an effort to win public support for its 3FM master plan, which is due to be submitted for planning approval?

And what about the latest call by economist David McWilliams in The Irish Times for the port to move?

Listen to O’Connell's response in an interview for Wavelengths below

As part of the third annual Irish Port Safety Week, Dublin Port Company welcomed over 100 children from St Patrick’s Girls’ National School, Ringsend, and St. Joseph’s Co-ed Primary School, East Wall, to the Pumphouse for a Colouring Competition Award Ceremony.

The children coloured in pictures relating to port safety, including spot-the-difference drawings of health and safety examples from within Dublin Port. Goodie bags were handed out and there were numerous prizes awarded to children from both primary schools for their brilliant colouring skills.

There was a Q&A session with a member of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), who also demonstrated how to put on and inflate a lifejacket, which is vital for safety near the water.

Paul Hogan, Assistant Harbour Master at Dublin Port Company (right) and RNLI volunteer George Duffy (left), host kids from St. Joseph's Co-Ed School, East Wall and St. Patrick's Girls National School, Ringsend at Dublin Port for a safety demonstration and colouring competition as part of Port Safety Week 2023. Dublin Port Company is delighted to have the assistance and support of the Road Safety Authority, An Garda Síochána, Dublin Fire Brigade, the Irish Coast Guard, the RNLI and other services for a bumper calendar of events across the week. Photo Andrew Watchorn

The colouring competition, sponsored by Pollution and Waste Services Limited, was one of several events taking place during Irish Port Safety Week at Dublin Port. Port Safety Week allows the Port Authorities of Ireland to work collaboratively through the Irish Port Safety Forum to highlight a collective awareness of and responsibility for health and safety. Other events included staged water and land-based emergency scenarios, a demonstration by a state-of-the-art tug master vehicle and the RSA Shuttle Bus was also on site for two days.

Alecia Iyoko Rosy Mbayo, age 6, of 1st Class, St. Patrick’s Girls National School, Ringsend, gets creative for Dublin Port Company’s colouring competition as part of Port Safety Week 2023. Dublin Port Company is delighted to have the assistance and support of the Road Safety Authority, An Garda Síochána, Dublin Fire Brigade, the Irish Coast Guard, the RNLI and other services for a bumper calendar of events across the week. Photo: Andrew Watchorn

Edel Currie, Community Engagement Manager for Dublin Port, said: “We were thrilled to host St Patrick’s Girls’ School and St Joseph’s Co-ed Primary School at Dublin Port’s Pumphouse. Both Schools entered our Port Safety Week colouring competition, so it was fantastic to get all the kids in to see their efforts on the wall.

Girls from St. Patrick’s Girls National School, Ringsend, get creative for Dublin Port Company’s colouring competition as part of Port Safety Week 2023. Dublin Port Company is delighted to have the assistance and support of the Road Safety Authority, An Garda Síochána, Dublin Fire Brigade, the Irish Coast Guard, the RNLI and other services for a bumper calendar of events across the week. Photo: Andrew Watchorn

“Dublin Port have a longstanding relationship with the local primary schools. A lot of the children’s families have historically worked in the port, and we feel that it is important to keep that connection alive today. Whenever appropriate we always try to include the local primary schools. We see our close connections with the local schools as a key part of our port-city integration.”

Dublin Port Company (DPC) proudly kicked off the third annual Irish Port Safety Week at its Substation today. DPC has joined the other Port Authorities of Ireland to host and promote the initiative, which runs from October 23rd to 27th.

Port Safety Week allows the Port Authorities of Ireland to work collaboratively through the Irish Port Safety Forum to highlight a collective awareness of and responsibility for health and safety. A calendar of events throughout the week allows port users to enhance their safety knowledge at Dublin Port.

The Road Safety Authority Shuttle Bus will be at Dublin Port on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Shuttle Bus is a highly popular tool that brings road safety education to life in an engaging, interactive and memorable way. Members of the public, as well as port workers, can test and improve their skills in simulated adverse driving conditions. This continued focus on road safety follows on from Dublin Port’s SafePort initiative, which last year reduced speed limits across the seven unitised terminals from 40 km/h to 20 km/h to highlight the importance of road safety in and around the busy port.

Other highlights throughout the week include:

• 150 children from local schools take part in a colouring competition at Dublin Port’s Heritage Zone.
• Doyle Shipping Group’s state-of-the-art tug master vehicle will offer demonstrations for port operators to see the future of freight.
• Take a break and focus on mental health with free lunchtime yoga sessions.
• Witness a staged emergency scenario as the Irish Coastguard calls in DPC’s pilot and tug boats for a water rescue at the Poolbeg Yacht Club.

The dates for Irish Port Safety Week were chosen to follow European Safety Week. All ports nationally have been invited to participate in the national safety week with different collaborative events taking place at each port daily.

The themes of the Irish Port Safety Week include the Awareness of Port Golden Rules, Class 3 PPE, Emergency Response, Traffic Management, Employee Wellness, Water Safety and Safe and Healthy Work in the Digital Age, which is the overall theme of European Safety Week.

Following the formation of Dublin SafePort in 2022, Dublin Port - Ireland’s largest port - have taken giants strides to enhance safety. They recently introduced their ’10 Golden Rules’ to follow on from several measures including changing the speed limits throughout its north port road network from 50km/h to 40km/h.

Dublin Port is delighted to have the assistance and support of the Road Safety Authority, An Garda Síochána, Dublin Fire Brigade, the Irish Coast Guard, the RNLI and other services who interact frequently across the port area.

Dublin Fire Brigade are onsite at Dublin Port Friday, October 27th as part of an emergency scenario at the R&H Hall on the Port estate. In collaboration with Dublin Port Company and the staff at the R&H Hall, Dublin Fire Brigade responds to an onsite explosion with two missing persons reported. This scenario showcases the highest standards in health and safety practice that are central to all Dublin Port.

Michael McKenna, Dublin Port Harbourmaster, said: “We are very proud to see the bumper calendar of events at Dublin Port and throughout the ports of Ireland for Port Safety Week. Thanks to the support of our great partners, which include the HSA, Dublin Fire Brigade, the RSA and an Garda Síochána, the entire community of workers at Dublin Port can partake in a range of vital events to raise awareness of Health and Safety around the Port. Attendees of our many events will come away with a reinforced awareness of the SafePort Golden Rules, key emergency response strategies and the wider role everyone has to play in maintaining a safe and welcoming work environment at the Port.”

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Michael O’Reilly, Dublin Fire Brigade, said “Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do with Dublin Port. As you can see from the numerous safety exercises and events held at the Port throughout Irish Port Safety Week, Dublin Fire Brigade stands committed to working closely with Dublin Port to enhance safety standards and promote a secure environment for everyone involved.”

Dublin Port Company has received the final grant of planning permission for its innovative Liffey-Tolka Project.

The project will establish a new and transformative public space featuring a dedicated 1.4km cycle and pedestrian path connecting the River Liffey with the Tolka Estuary via Dublin Port lands on the east side of East Wall Road.

Along the way, cyclists and pedestrians will come across the Substation, Dublin Port Company's new interpretive space and venue for exhibitions, lectures and performances.

It was launched last month, and offers visitors a view of the original 18th-century East Wall uncovered during excavations at the site.

A map of the Liffey-Tolka Project running along Dublin Port’s Distributed Museum route

The Liffey-Tolka Project will also link up with the Tolka Estuary Greenway, currently under construction. This greenway section provides the public with a never-before-seen view of Clontarf and Dublin Bay from the Port Estate. This is part of Dublin Port Company's mission to create greater integration between the Port and the City and to promote sustainable transportation options.

A video tour of the Dublin Port Distributed Museum is here

Samskip and Boluda Lines has jointly launched a shortsea container services connecting Santander, Dublin and Liverpool, in a new commitment to customers in Spain, Ireland and the UK.

The new container service also delivers a strategic expansion for Samskip’s European sustainable transport network.

Launched on Saturday (30 Sept), the joint service provides a new weekly Spain-Ireland-UK shortsea option for unitized cargoes that is highly cost competitive against road-ferry alternatives, while at the same time offering greater reliability and substantially reducing CO2 emissions per tonne mile.

Based on Saturday departures from Santander by the 803 TEU nominal capacity vessel Lucia B (as above) the new service offers a 3-day transit time to Dublin Port, (which Afloat adds took place this afternoon, 2 Oct), with calls at Liverpool’s Royal Seaforth Container Terminal, due two days after, before the ship’s southbound voyage to Spain.

The door-to-door and quay-to-quay services available, cargoes can move in owners’ extensive range of containers - including 45ft high cubes, reefers and flatracks - or in shippers’ own equipment.

In northern Spain, the focal point for operations will be Boluda Maritime Terminals Santander, which is ideally located to provide links to Ireland and the UK and is highly competitive against other local ports. Opened by Boluda in April 2023, after terminal investments approaching €40 million, the brand-new facility offers capacity to handle over 110,000 TEUs a year.

In addition to adding value through logistics expertise and local knowledge, Samskip and Boluda Lines are maximising Santander’s operational, sustainability and market penetration potential by simultaneously launching block train rail services to/from Madrid and Seville. Cross-docking services are also being offered at Santander.

As experts in Multimodal planning logistics, Samskip has a strong local presence in Ireland and North Ireland. This provides a great edge for reliable service where extensive road haulage services have been developed to support ships connecting Cork, Dublin, Belfast and Waterford to Samskip’s European network via the Netherlands.

How did Dublin’s East Wall get its name, and where did Dublin City once stop and the port begin?

These and other interesting questions were answered at last week’s opening of the renovated 18th-century Dublin Port Substation by the Minister for Public Expenditure and local TD Paschal Donohoe.

Dublin Port’s new chief executive Barry O’Connell, noted that the event was taking place on Culture Night, when a plaque honouring Bindon Blood Stoney, one of the port’s most pioneering engineers, was also unveiled.

All hands on deck as Adam Roche, 9, and Everly Whelan, 9, of St. Joseph’s Co-Ed Primary School launch Dublin Port Company’s new venue the Substation with Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe TD. The Substation allows the public to view through a glass floor the 18th century sea wall which gives the East Wall its name. The display is the latest addition to Dublin Port’s distributed museum, a key part of Masterplan 2040’s strategic objective to integrate the Port and the City. Photo: Conor McCabe

The port’s heritage director Lar Joye spoke to Wavelengths about the background to the project, and about exhibitions planned for the redbrick building with its two distinctive portholes.

There's new Life for Dublin Port's redbrick substation with Its two distinctive portholes

Listen to Wavelengths below

The Irish economy “couldn’t function” without the “central role of Dublin Port”, Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe has said.

Speaking at the opening of Dublin Port’s Substation as an interpretive centre and venue, Mr Donohoe said that Dublin began as a port city, and it was easy to forget this.

“We understand that better about our history than we do about our present,” he said, stating the port is “a vital piece of national infrastructure that is an artery not just to our city, but to our economy”.

The Fine Gael minister, whose constituency is Dublin Central, said this could best be appreciated when walking out to the end of the North Bull Wall and observing the shipping traffic in the bay with “the wind in your face and the salt on your lips”.

He paid tribute to Dublin Port for “opening up walls and gates”, with the refurbished Substation being a prime example of this.

Dublin Port chief executive Barry O’Connell noted that the opening was taking place on national culture night, when a plaque honouring Bindon Blood Stoney, one of the port’s most pioneering engineers, would also be unveiled.

“Today marks another significant milestone in our journey towards making Dublin Port a destination, and achieving port-city integration,” O’Connell said.

The Substation’s opening and discovery and preservation of the 18th century sea wall, which gave East Wall its name symbolises the port’s “commitment to bridging the past and present”.

During refurbishment works on site, part of the city’s original sea wall was discovered running underneath the Substation. The 18th century sea wall once served to protect the East Wall from flooding and was a catalyst for the North Lotts reclamation of centuries ago. Dublin Port, together with a multidisciplinary team has worked to preserve and expose the sea wall underneath a glass floor inside the building  Photo: Conor McCabe

“As we continue our efforts to connect the port with the city, this interpretive centre becomes a vital part of Masterplan 2040, fostering a deeper connection between our maritime heritage and the community,” he said.

Dublin Port heritage director Lar Joye said the Substation marked the point where the “port meets the city”, and once played a pivotal role in the early electrification of the port complex.

The 18th-century sea wall discovered running underneath the Substation once served to protect the East Wall from flooding and was a catalyst for the North Lotts reclamation of centuries ago.

One of the Substation’s first events will be an exhibition curated by the Little Museum of Dublin in November, entitled “Solidarity: the Dockers of Dublin Port”.

A tribute to the dockers was the theme of a short performance at the Substation opening by ANU actor Robbie O’Connor, based on a short extract from “The Book of Names” by Louise Lowe.

When completed, the redbrick Substation museum display would be part of a 6.2 km cycle and pedestrian route linking port, maritime and industrial heritage landmarks and views from Dublin Port estate and overlooking Dublin Bay, Joye said.

The Liffey-Tolka project recently acquired planning permission to create a “transformative public realm” along a 1.4 km dedicated cycle and pedestrian route linking the Liffey with Tolka estuary, passing the Substation en route as part of a greenway.

Attending the event at the Substation – and assisting the minister in ringing a ship’s bell before he unveiled the section of the old sea wall - were Adam Roche (9) and Everly Whelan (9) of St Joseph’s Co-Ed Primary School.

Adam Roche, 9, and Everly Whelan, 9, of St. Joseph’s Co-Ed Primary School, at the launch of the Substation at Dublin Port Photo: Conor McCabe

Their school board chairperson, former Dublin Central Independent TD Maureen O’Sullivan, also attended the opening, along with members of the Ringsend and East Wall communities.

Dublin Port’s redbrick Victorian substation will be opened up as a new public space by Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe on Friday.

Dublin Port’s chief executive, Barry O’Connell, will also attend the event, where Mr Donohoe will unveil a glass floor showing a section of Dublin city’s original 18th-century sea wall underneath.

While its exact date of construction is unknown, the substation is believed to have been built around 1908. It was decommissioned in 2017-18 and was fragile when restoration began.

The redbrick building, a protected structure, faces onto East Wall Road and Alexandra Road, with port-hole windows on either side of the arched front door.

The building will serve as a multi-functional space, according to Dublin Port, which says it will host “a range of small-scale events including lectures, poetry readings and theatre performances”.

Port Heritage director Lar Joye and Jim Kelleher, Head of Special Projects at Dublin Port, will also attend the opening on Friday.

More details on the sub-station are here