Proposal for new port a stand-alone project, says Dempsey

The development of a new port near Balbriggan, Co Dublin, while welcome, was a "stand-alone project", Minister for the Marine Noel Dempsey said yesterday.

There have been proposals to move Dublin port operations to the new port at Bremore, near Balbriggan.

However, Mr Dempsey said the key issue of ports policy was that capacity problems should not "put a brake" on the expansion of the economy.

While he looked forward particularly to the Government's review of the uses and operation of Dublin Port, he outlined its strategic importance to the Greater Dublin Area and said the new port at Bremore, while welcome, was a "stand-alone project".

"I think it is important to reiterate that this proposal is being advanced as a stand-alone project and is not dependent or linked to any relocation of capacity from Dublin Port," he said.

Mr Dempsey, who was speaking at the annual National Ports Conference in Killiney, Co Dublin, referred to new ports legislation to be introduced North and South and reminded port company board members of their obligations as directors.

The Minister said the restructuring of port company boards in the South, under the 1996 Harbours Act, had made them stronger commercially. And he said under a new Bill on which he was working, further autonomy would be granted as long as it strengthened their commercial activities.

But he warned: "with the commercial freedom comes a very onerous fiduciary duty on the directors of the port companies."

He went on to stress "the necessity of ensuring that each board member is fully cognisant of the relevant corporate governance responsibilities that obtain.

"This is a broad area covering harbours legislation, company law, procurement, capital appraisal guidelines and ethics in public office," Mr Dempsey said.

Speaking at the all-Ireland conference, Mr Dempsey and the North's Minister for Regional Development, Conor Murphy said they planned new arrangements in a bid to strengthen their commercial activities.

Mr Murphy said he was reviewing the legislation for publicly-owned ports in Northern Ireland.

These included Derry, Coleraine, Belfast and Warrenpoint, which accounted for 84 per cent of all the North's import and export trade.

The intention was to make the ports more competitive, and so improve the economy of the island, Mr Murphy said.