INTEREST in the state-of-the-art facilities at Waterford's Belview port has been quick to surface, following the appointment of Mr David Hughes as liquidator of Bell Lines.

Eucon Shipping, the container division of ICG, announced yesterday that it was seeking quotations for shipping facilities. The company's manager, Mr Sam Simington, said that Eucon already had haulage business originating in Waterford, and, with its partner, HKCIL, had now increased its number of ships by two to six.

"The fact that we have a lot of business originating in the area at present gives us that bit of extra scope. There is going to be a demand there that has to be satisfied," he said.

Meanwhile, the liquidator, Mr Hughes, said that difficulties involving the hauliers at Waterford Harbour should be resolved over the weekend and goods should begin to be delivered by Monday.

Around 1,000 loads are in transit at present all over Europe and Mr Hughes said all ships had been pre-paid and should have delivered the goods to their destinations by Tuesday. Goods should be moving again out of Waterford Port by Monday, he said.

The liquidator and his team spent most of yesterday in discussions with hauliers, some of whose cheques had been stopped by the banks on Thursday, as news of the collapse of the proposed rescue plan for Bell filtered through.

Trading debts of more than Pounds 20 million have been left by the company.

Mr Hughes, of Ernst & Young chartered accountants, said he was confident the hauliers would continue to haul for the company.

The liquidation team also had discussions with a consortium of stevedores in Rotterdam who want to take over the Bell facilities at the port there. Mr Hughes said he believed a deal could be done very quickly.

The liquidator is currently securing Bell's assets in various European countries and starting the legal processes of winding up its EU subsidiaries. A substantial number of employees were laid off yesterday but a skeleton staff will be kept on.

Meanwhile, the Minister for the Marine, Dr Woods, made a commitment to maintain the south-east shipping corridor following Bell's collapse. He announced an action plan for the port's future.

As part of that plan, he is making marketing and business development expertise available to the port authorities and ensuring that repayments on European Investment Bank loans would not affect the port's financial position.

IBEC's transport council said yesterday that the maintenance and expansion of Waterford's container services was a critical part of Ireland's overall shipping strategy. The port handled 23 per cent of Irish trade, according to IBEC.

Mr Colum MacDonnell, of the Irish Exporters' Association, said that the Bell Lines liquidation would have a significant impact on the perishable goods export market to the continent.

A spokesman for Iarnrod Eireann, which provided freight carriage facilities for Bell, said he expected another company to fill the breach.

larnrod Eireann has lines running to Waterford Port - the only one with an on-quay rail link for container traffic - and is a creditor to Bell.

"There would have been a debt there from before the examinership, but it would have been within our normal credit terms," said the spokesman.

Mr Jimmy Quinn, of the Irish Road Haulage Association, said up to 75 members were affected, most of them severely.