Even Munster freight firms sending goods to the continent still opt for Dublin over Rosslare. James Nix reports
Some 46 per cent of Ireland's imports and exports are now handled at Dublin Port. Throughput is up from 6.6 million tonnes in 1992 to 22.3 million tonnes in 2003.
This rapid growth has brought some curious trends. Though it involves going north and then south, many Munster companies are sending goods destined for France through Dublin.
Also, Dublin-based freight fowarders are less inclined to route trucks bound for the continent via Rosslare. Over the past five years companies such as DHL-Danzas have increased their dependence on the "UK landbridge". DFDS, with forwarding centres in Cork, Dublin, Naas and Shannon, now send 70 per cent of goods for the continent via Britain. So why is the freight sector turning increasingly to Dublin, even for goods sold into continental Europe?
The answer has a lot to do with ferry speeds. Leaving Dublin, freight can be sped across the Irish sea in under three hours, spend eight hours on British motorways, be shipped across the English Channel in about two hours, and arrive on the continent 13 hours later. The ships plying between Rosslare and ports in northwest France travel much slower than those on the Irish Sea or English Channel. The Rosslare to France crossing takes 19 to 21 hours.
Rosslare is also disadvantaged by inconsistent sailing times. P&O depart Rosslare at 10pm on a Tuesday, 7pm on Thursday and 2.30pm on Saturday. Irish Ferries sail at 5pm on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Neither company sails all year round.
Long service gaps in late winter and spring are due to vessel overhaul (or reassigning the Rosslare to France ship to allow other vessel be serviced). Faced with the option of slow, irregular sailings from the south east or fast regular-interval sailings from Dublin, the logistics industry is voting with its feet.
The direct-to-France sailing could take a great deal less time. A superfast ferry would allow a Rosslare to Brest crossing to be made in just under 10 hours. The 10-hour crossing time enables a regular timetable - the ship would be back in time to leave Rosslare at 10pm each night, seven nights a week. The reason ferry operators haven't provided the service is simple: no company can be expected to tie up the level of capital required - about €100m for a modern ship - if investment in Ireland's transport network persists with a Dublin-centric approach.
User charges for British roads are on the horizon and a high level of dependence on these roads for goods sold into the continent is not in Ireland's interest. If traffic not needing to go through Dublin could be directed away from the M50 there are worthy traffic planning reasons for endorsing this option.
The product itself is a good one. A ten hour maximum journey time is ideal. It allows enough turnaround time for both an outbound and return journey in each 24 hour period, i.e. a total of 14 revenue-earning trips per week. Compare this with 6 revenue-earning services at present.
Next summer, Brittany Ferries will introduce its new flagship, the Pont Aven, on the Cork to Roscoff route. The Pont Aven has an impressive crossing time - 11 hours - but will call to Cork only on Saturdays. (It is to spend the rest of the week working between UK and continental ports.) The vessel has space for 650 cars and a mere 20 trucks, underlining a tourist focus. The introduction of the Pont Aven highlights the need for a regular freight-oriented service.
Earlier this year, the EU introduced the Marco Polo programme. Projects that "shift freight from road to short sea shipping, inland waterway or rail, or a combination of these non-road modes" are eligible for funding - up to maximum of 30 per cent of cost. At least two member states must come together to promote a given project.
Spurred on by the Marco Polo initiative the French and Irish governments could set up a joint tender for a year-round high-speed ferry service between both countries.
The first round of applications for Marco Polo funding opened on October 11th and will close on December 10th. To date Ireland's take up of EU aid to ease the burden on roads has been extremely poor. It remains to be seen whether Marco Polo will see another opportunity lost.
•James Nix is pursuing an MPhil in transport studies in DIT and is in his final year at King's Inns ...