Stena's Ferry Ports in Wales Report 30% Fall in traffic Due to Brexit, Says Operator's Boss

24th January 2022

Ian Davies, boss of Stena Line’s UK ports, said Holyhead (above) and Fishguard have both been affected. Both ports Afloat adds are operated by Stena Line Ports Ltd. Credit: Stena Line UKIE-twitter

Stena's ferry ports in Wales have seen a 30% fall in traffic as a result of Brexit a shipping operator has said.

Ian Davies, boss of Stena Line’s UK ports, said the decline seen in Holyhead and Fishguard was because of the new trading relationship with the European Union and not the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Davies said the new deal has hit the logistics industry “quite hard”.

“In January, we saw a big drop-off ranging from 50-60% of our freight volumes, as people really kind of got used to the new regimes and the new documentation that was required,” he told the BBC Politics Wales programme on Sunday.

“I would say it caught quite a few, not so much in the haulage industry, but their customers unaware"

“But then things gradually improved but we seem to have plateaued. Currently, we’re probably in the region of 30% down on our pre-pandemic 2019 volume.”

About The Author

Jehan Ashmore

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Jehan Ashmore is a marine correspondent, researcher and photographer, specialising in Irish ports, shipping and the ferry sector serving the UK and directly to mainland Europe. Jehan also occasionally writes a column, 'Maritime' Dalkey for the (Dalkey Community Council Newsletter) in addition to contributing to UK marine periodicals.

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