Belgian fishing trawlers continue to use the convenience of Dun Laoghaire Harbour on the Irish east coast to land their Irish Sea catches since Brexit.
The latest arrivals follow four big Belgian vessels using the port in May, more than doubling the sporadic arrival of such visits into Dun Laoghaire last year.
Dun Laoghaire Harbour’s strategic location as an EU port in the middle of the Irish Sea may have been overlooked by commercial fishing fleets for years but since Brexit, it appears Belgian fishermen have been quick to see the advantage of the Dublin Bay port.
Dun Laoghaire Harbour is proving a convenient and well-serviced location for the Belgian fishing trawler fleet that totals 25 in number.
As Afloat reported previously, the trawlers, that catch Whitefish on Cardigan Bay off the Welsh coast, used to land in Liverpool but current Brexit arrangements are causing difficulties leading to the requirement for deepwater alternatives.
The six-metre draft of the trawlers is just too deep for other east coast ports (other than Dublin) so Dun Laoghaire Harbour is proving a convenient and well-serviced location.
The Carlisle Pier provides easy access for trucks to take the catch to market. And it's not the only port the Belgians are accessing, they are also landing fish in Cork, according to local sources.