Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Brexitberths

16th May 2019

Large Cruiseship Signals ‘End of an Era’ for Irish Cruise Tourism Following Dublin Port Cruise Ban

Alexandra Basin, Dublin Port where major work is ongoing among them at Alexandra Quay West (AFLOAT adds see top of basin) where berth restrictions are to be introduced from 2021 to 2023. At this berth is seen the small cruiseship, Marco Polo. On the right is a larger 'Solstice' class cruiseship in which the fifth and final of this series is Celebrity Reflection (which today) is occupying this same berth during a 'turnaround' cruise.

#cruiseliners - The arrival of thousands of well-travelled North American visitors on a huge cruiseship today could signal the ‘‘end of an era’’ due to actions of the Dublin Port Company, that's according to a group of businesses from across the tourism, retail and transport sectors.

The All-Ireland Cruise Ship Action Group (AICSAG) which was formed to campaign against the ban on cruiseships entering Dublin Port from 2021 has welcomed the influx of visitors due to the arrival of cruiseship Celebrity Reflection in the port today. (Afloat adds even larger capacity cruiseships have docked in the port previously). 

Celebrity Reflection which holds 3,600 high-spending passengers from North America, is in Dublin for a ‘turnaround’, an industry term used when one group of passengers leave a cruise ship after a cruise and fly out of Ireland while another group of passengers jet into Dublin to join for a new cruise. Many of these high net worth individuals continue to spend time on the island of Ireland after their cruise ends.

According to AICSAG, turnarounds are believed to be worth up to €100 million to the Irish tourism industry but have now been banned by the Dublin Port Company.

Up until recently, the Dublin Port Company have been extremely active in promoting cruise tourism and were actively marketing to international cruise lines, such as Celebrity.

The decision by the Dublin Port Company to stop cruise ships docking at Dublin Port from 2021 was according to the Group taken without any consultations or engagement with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, local businesses, Dublin City Council, or the other Irish ports, namely Belfast, Waterford and Cork, who will be severely impacted by this decision.

Cruise companies market Ireland as a destination, and in addition to Dublin large cruise ships often stop off at Belfast, Waterford and Cork. Without access to Dublin Port, cruise companies will no longer stop in other Irish ports and will take hundreds of thousands of passengers out of Ireland to other European destinations.

Afloat.ie today contacted Dublin Port Company which issued the following statement in response to AICSAG.

The berth restrictions we are introducing in 2021 are intended to last three years (i.e. from 2021 to 2023) while we undertake major construction works on a 400 metre quay wall, Alexandra Quay West. (Afloat adds this quay forms part of Alexandra Basin). 

As regards the long-term, we have planning permission to develop new berths suitable for cruise ships immediately east of the Tom Clark Bridge [East-Link] at an estimated cost of €100m. This is the subject of a cost benefit analysis study which is currently underway and which will be finished by mid-year.

We intend publishing this study as part of a public consultation process (including with the cruise industry) to ensure that a €100m investment by Dublin Port would be viable. Subject to the outcome of this process, the new berths would be constructed in 2024 / 2025 and be available in 2026.

In addition to the statement, DPC has supplied Afloat.ie with a Briefing Document for the Minister for Transport Shane Ross on Dublin Port’s new cruise ship berthing and pricing policy.

The detailed document published in March, covers many aspects including the Alexandra Basin Redevelopment Project (ABR) and as alluded above new cruise berths [at the North Wall Extension] available in 2026.

Published in Cruise Liners
Tagged under
Read more...

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. 

Popular Ports Stories

Featured Sailing School

INSS sidebutton

Featured Clubs

dbsc mainbutton
Howth Yacht Club
Kinsale Yacht Club
National Yacht Club
Royal Cork Yacht Club
Royal Irish Yacht club
Royal Saint George Yacht Club

Featured Brokers

leinster sidebutton

Featured Webcams

Featured Associations

ISA sidebutton
ICRA
isora sidebutton

Featured Marinas

dlmarina sidebutton

Featured Chandleries

CHMarine Afloat logo
https://afloat.ie/resources/marine-industry-news/viking-marine

Featured Sailmakers

northsails sidebutton
uksails sidebutton
watson sidebutton

Featured Blogs

W M Nixon - Sailing on Saturday
podcast sidebutton
BSB sidebutton
wavelengths sidebutton
 

Featured Stories

Please show your support for Afloat by donating

Afloat Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine

Copyright © 2024 Baily Publications Ltd Terms and Conditions

Our site uses cookies. If you're not happy about that please hit your back button.

Web Design & Development by Red Evolution