Angry truckers are accusing a shipping company of price-gouging after it doubled charges for some loads on the Irish Sea after Holyhead’s closure.
Damage inflicted by Storm Darragh last month closed the Welsh port, adding to pressure on other routes between Britain and Ireland.
Luxembourg-based shipping group CLDN told hauliers days ago it would require a surcharge of twice the normal booking rate for any loads above a company’s “usual allocations”.
A note from company staff to hauliers acknowledges that customers “would be frustrated”, but says that CLDN expects this to last only a short time.
The company describes the charge as a “mechanism to try and prioritise urgent loads due to issues at Holyhead”.
However, CLDN’s move prompted accusations of price-gouging from Ger Hyland, Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) president, who warned that it had angered members.
The association wrote this week to James Lawless, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, asking the Government to ensure that CLDN cease “these exploitative practices”.
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CLDN did not respond to several requests from The Irish Times for comment.
According to Mr Hyland, Holyhead’s closure has left hauliers relying heavily on CLDN, which sails from Dublin and Warrenpoint, Co Down, to Liverpool and Heysham in England.
[ Hauliers plan to seek compensation over Holyhead Port closureOpens in new window ]
Pamela Dennison, policy support officer with the Road Haulage Association (RHA) in Northern Ireland, confirmed that the move had alarmed the organisation’s members.
“Haulage is the backbone of trade between Northern Ireland, the Republic and Great Britain – we need to ensure freight is given the priority it needs,” she said.
Ms Dennison added that shipping companies should charge prices that reflect hauliers’ finances.
The RHA points out in a circular to members that CLDN – formerly known as Seatruck – has a dominant position on routes between Northern Ireland and Britain.
CLDN’s note tells hauliers that it has recalibrated allocations to reflect averages from the last six months.
According to Mr Hyland, this has led to situations where members are paying the surcharge even where the number of slots they have booked aboard CLDN’s vessels are in line with normal bookings.
His letter to Mr Lawless states that: “Waiting-list customers are being denied access to available space on ships unless they agree to pay these inflated prices, regardless of actual ship occupancy.”
The organisation has asked the Department of Transport to investigate the company’s prices and policies since the Holyhead closure.
Mr Lawless’s office contacted the shipping company this week as a result of the association’s complaint.
Holyhead is a key port for Irish exporters and importers. Owner Stena Line has said it could reopen on January 16th, although some reports indicated that this could be a partial reopening. Hauliers fear the closure could last several months.
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