North Wales ‘left in limbo’ by port closure

Chris Haines ICNN Senedd reporter

One of Britain’s busiest ports will not fully reopen until at least March after being damaged during storm Darragh, leaving north Wales in “limbo”, the Senedd heard.

Ken Skates, Wales transport secretary, confirmed one of the ferry berths at Holyhead port will reopen from January 16, with four services a day to and from Dublin.

The Stena Line-owned port on Anglesey has been closed since December 7 and, in a statement precisely one month on, Mr Skates did not give a timeline for full reopening.

The Conservatives’ Sam Kurtz raised concerns about delays in reopening, which was initially expected shortly after the storm, causing considerable uncertainty.

He told the Senedd: “While it’s positive to hear that one ferry berth will reopen for four daily services, the fact that full operations are not expected until March leaves businesses and communities in a state of limbo.”

‘Deficiencies’

The Tory shadow economy secretary, who used to work on the Rosslare crossing, said the closure underlines the importance of the “overlooked” southern corridor from Pembrokeshire.

Rhun ap Iorwerth, who has represented Ynys Môn since 2013, raised concerns about the “very ambitious” March reopening date for the berth that bore the brunt of the damage.

Calling for lessons to be learned, he said: “We know that there have been deficiencies over a very long period of time that have led to the undermining of the breakwater, for example.

“We need to know the questions are now going to be asked by the Welsh Government about what the maintenance undertaken on these births was, so that we can ensure that we don’t face the same problems in storms that will undoubtedly happen more frequently in future.”

The Plaid Cymru leader stopped short of calling for nationalisation but suggested exploring a new ownership model, with the minister replying that the port is not currently for sale.

‘Big priority’

Carolyn Thomas, a Labour backbencher who represents North Wales, was concerned and surprised to hear how vulnerable Holyhead port was.

She asked: “What difference will the breakwater investment really make…? I don’t want to sound gloomy but I just want to make sure that it continues to be a big priority. It’s really, really important for north Wales.”

Gareth Davies, the Tory Senedd member for Vale of Clwyd, criticised the first minister for recording a video about the closure from the port of Fishguard.

He said: “It was disappointing that she wasn’t capable of leaving west Wales to record her video from the port of Holyhead … what [a] message that gives out to people on the island of Ynys Môn and, indeed, north Wales as well.”

Mr Skates, who is also responsible for north Wales, explained that the first minister recorded the video while in Fishguard to broker a deal for capacity from the port.

‘Herculean’

In his statement to the Senedd, Mr Skates lauded a “Herculean” response that averted a crisis, with 100,000 Irish citizens needing to get back for Christmas.

The transport secretary announced a task force will develop a new strategy for the future of Holyhead and consider the resilience of critical transport links across the Irish Sea.

Mr Skates said businesses will “in a matter of days” be able to present evidence for any loss of earnings through a council portal, with Business Wales on standby.

He told the Senedd: “The incident has highlighted how important Holyhead is to economies and communities in north Wales, to the UK more widely and to our partners in Ireland.

“As is often the case with transport networks, there is a tendency for their true value to fade from our day to day thinking until something goes wrong.”