Dublin Port chief executive Eamonn O’Reilly has said that Brexit has spelled the end of the British “landbridge” transit route, as new figures show a dramatic fall in lorry traffic with British ports, reports The Irish Times.
New border controls introduced at the start of last year following Britain’s departure from the European Union have led to a sharp decline in the road freight traffic through Dublin Port as businesses turn to direct ferry routes with mainland Europe to avoid post-Brexit red tape.
As Afloat reported earlier, full-year figures on freight volumes through Dublin Port Company in 2021 reveal the impact of Brexit on the once-favoured “landbridge” route across Britain to and from mainland Europe.
The State’s busiest port recorded a 9 per cent drop in the number of roll-on, roll-off (ro-ro) units – equivalent to 99,000 trailers – last year, while the number of lift-on, lift-off (lo-lo) units increased by 10.2 per cent – or 43,000 containers – as more traders sought to ship goods directly with Europe.
The bulk of the decline in lorry traffic was due to a 90,000 reduction in the number of driver-accompanied trailers passing through Dublin Port during the year as more traders chose to ship goods in and out of the State by container rather than driver-accompanied trailers.
For more including the core Dublin-Holyhead route, click here.
