Dublin Port's chief executive, Capt Enda Connellan, has questioned the Government's proposal to appoint a regulator or ombudsman to oversee fair competition among State ports.
There was no evidence of the "market failure" that such a regulator would oversee, Capt Connellan, head of the State's largest port, told The Irish Times.
The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Ahern, has said that the post would be required under the new EU directive on market access for port service.
Dublin Port was "not afraid" of a regulator, Capt Connellan stressed, and said there could be an argument for a regulator if substantial private capital was being invested in the port. "The point is, what would a regulator regulate, and why?" he said.
Modern ports require a broad range of services, and there are 18 separate functions within Dublin Port alone, extending from pilotage to customs, cranage, mooring, security and waste disposal.
"The vast majority of these are provided by private companies, with just three provided solely by Dublin Port Company," he pointed out.
Capt Connellan made his comments in the context of the Government review of the future of commercial seaports. The Minister for the Marine has initiated consultation on the future of the State's commercial seaports, following publication of two consultancy studies last May.
The High Level Review of Ports, conducted by Raymond Burke Consultancy, Posford Haskoning Consulting Engineers and Farrell Grant Sparks Corporate Finance, advised against privatisation of the State's main ports, but the Minister has expressed his support for this option.
The Irish Business Employers' Confederation (IBEC) subsequently accused the consultants of showing an "inherent ideological bias".
IBEC called earlier this month for a privatisation programme to be initiated, starting with the major strategic ports of Dublin, Cork, Shannon-Foynes and Rosslare.
Capt Connellan said that any decision on privatisation was immaterial to him, but there was "no problem with the current ownership structure".
There was a need for a "vigorous, informed and comprehensive debate on ports policy" with the aim of improving national competitiveness, he stressed.
Dublin Port has recovered trade previously lost to Larne, Belfast and Waterford through a €125 million investment programme, improved systems and reduced charges.
"The development of port infrastructure here is far ahead of that outside our gates; our prices continue to fall and our manning levels continue to drop," Capt Connellan said.
"There is plenty more to do but we have a clear strategy in place, and will continue to drive it to meet our customers' needs."
