A coordinated national approach to port resilience is needed to protect Ireland’s trade, energy and supply chains from future disruption, according to a new policy paper from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Ireland.
The report, Keeping Ireland Moving: Building Resilient Ports for Trade, Energy and Supply Chains, was launched at a briefing attended by senior figures from Ireland’s transport, logistics, maritime and policy sectors.
It comes as the Department of Transport progresses its review of the National Ports Policy, first published in 2013. CILT says its findings should help inform the development of the State’s future ports strategy.
Ports Handle More Than 90% of Irish Trade
The policy paper describes Ireland’s ports as the “backbone of the national economy”, handling more than 90% of the country’s trade by volume while providing essential connections for freight, energy and passengers.
CILT says resilience should be considered a national capability rather than an issue to be addressed separately by individual ports.
The study takes an all-island approach and examines six principal ports — Dublin, Cork, Shannon Foynes, Waterford, Rosslare and Belfast.
It identifies strong operational performance across the network but also constraints involving spatial capacity, access infrastructure, governance, finance and digital integration.
Holyhead Disruption Exposed Vulnerability
The report points to the disruption at Holyhead Port in late 2024 as an example of the potential consequences for Ireland when important transport routes are interrupted.
CILT says the incident demonstrated the vulnerability associated with concentrated routing and limited redundancy and underlined the need for coordinated planning and investment across Ireland’s maritime network.
The organisation argues that future port resilience needs to be integrated with wider transport, climate, energy and digital policies rather than considered in isolation.
‘Strength Depends on Ability to Work Together’
CILT Ireland President Tim Hayes said the launch had brought together expertise from across the sector, including representatives of the Irish Maritime Development Office and Irish ports.
“This policy paper is of substantial value to the sector and comes at an important time for the future development of Ireland’s ports in these turbulent times,” Hayes said.
“It provides a strong, evidence-based insight and analysis to the discussion and will make a significant contribution to the further development of Ireland’s maritime, transport and logistics industry.
“The strength of Ireland’s network depends on our ability to work together, share knowledge and take a coordinated approach to its future.”
The CILT Ireland Policy Committee, chaired by Dr Eoin Plant O’Toole, produced the study with an all-island perspective reflecting the interconnected nature of the maritime network.
Port policy focus — Dr Eoin Plant, Chair of the CILT Policy Committee; CILT Ireland President Tim Hayes; and Chiagoziem Ozoani, lead researcher with the CILT Policy Committee, at the launch of the new port resilience policy paper.
