Displaying items by tag: National Primary Roads

22nd December 2010

Salt Shipments Bound for Cork

As artic conditions persist throughout the country, another shipment of rock-salt is due to arrive at the port of Cork tonight, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The cargo-ship, CFL Prospect with 6,300 tonnes of salt onboard, set sail from the Mediterranean over a week ago and is expected to dock at Cork city-centre around midnight. The vessel's cargo will be unloaded tomorrow morning at the South Quays where over 100 trucks will distribute the salt to authorities around the country. Further shipments totalling 15,000 tonnes are due to be handled by the port over the festive period.

In total the National Roads Authority (NRA) will have 25,000 tonnes of salt available during the Christmas week, with 3,000 tonnes distributed to authorities on a daily basis. As a priority the salt will be used to grit the national primary network.

The second bout of artic conditions that has gripped the country with temperatures plummeting to -17 degrees in the west and -15 degrees is forecast tonight in the north-west. Further snowfalls are also due in various regions tonight and with sub-zero temperatures expected to last up to St. Stephens Day. As such the demand for salt supplies has soared resulting in shipments sourced from overseas countries to include Turkey and Egypt.

CFL Prospect (see video-clip here) is owned by the Dutch shipping company, Kees Koolhof which since 2006 has built up a fleet of modern vessels to trade in the short-sea sector. The 2007 built vessel is one of nine Jumbo 6500s from a series completed by the Peters Shipyard at Krampen.

For the latest NRA's road weather stations logon here in addition to weather forecasts from www.met.ie

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