Latest news with #IrishFerries
Irish Examiner
23-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
Home Q&A: Can I take my dog with me on holiday abroad?
Question Can I take my dog with me on holiday abroad? Answer In short, yes, but there are some provisos, and these may alter as you travel depending on where you are going and what borders you cross. Give yourself three weeks to prepare. Irish Ferries advises: 'The minimum requirement for dogs, cats and ferrets crossing any EU border is a Microchip and an EU Pet Passport with veterinary endorsements certifying compliance with tests, treatments and vaccinations. All cats, dogs and ferrets must also have a current Rabies vaccination (administered at least 21 days prior to entry).' Travelling from NI, as it's part of the UK, there are other rules in place, so talk to your vet. You will need to book in for an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) appointment with a vet who has done the extra course required to issue pet travel documents. This appointment needs to be within 10 days of your travel date, and at least 21 days after your dog's rabies vaccination date' Don't wing it and hope for the best. If you get to the continent without a full check of the paperwork for the animal (sailing over), you may be caught elsewhere leading to a dog or cat being confiscated and quarantined — a very costly and upsetting moment. Flying? No animals are allowed on any Ryanair flights, whether in the cabin or the hold, except assistance and guide dogs, so you'll have to make arrangements in advance for a suitable crate for the hold with another airline like Aer Lingus. Dogs should be 16 weeks old, and some dangerous dog breeds and snub-nosed breeds of cats and dogs may not be accepted for travel. Talk to your airline.
Irish Independent
18-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Truckers fear ‘greatly improved' Holyhead ferry timetable introduced after Storm Darragh is about to be scrapped
They say the new timetable greatly improved ferry services on the Irish Sea and even reduced congestion on Dublin's M50. Now, the two main haulage industry groups on both sides of the Irish Sea have lobbied both governments to ensure the retention of the temporary post-storm timetable because of fears that the ferry companies are set to go back to their old schedule. 'The current schedules should be kept in the interests of efficiency, competitiveness, connectivity and environment,' said a joint letter to Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien from the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) and the UK's Road Haulage Association. 'The more dispersed sailing schedules also provides more competition and choice on the key routes and reduces the potential impacts of the increased dominance of any one carrier or port,' said the letter, which was also sent to Tánaiste Simon Harris and Junior Minister Sean Canney, who has responsibility for ports and logistics at the Department of Transport. Prior to Storm Darragh in December, Stena and Irish Ferries crossings ran at almost the same time. Hauliers had previously lobbied for the timetables to be staggered, without success. But after the storm caused extensive damage to a berth at the port of Holyhead, it left just one berth available for Irish Sea services. Following the initial closure of the port a staggered timetable was introduced to allow both ferry companies to continue to operate their ferries while repairs were under way to one of two ramps at the port that trucks use to access ferries. The new schedule means that there is currently a roll-on roll-off ferry sailing to Ireland every 3.5 hours. The repairs are scheduled to be completed in July 2025 and haulier associations are demanding the timetable does not revert to what was in place before the storm. Asked to comment, a spokesman for Stena Line said it 'welcomes the news that with the planned reopening of Terminal 3 at Holyhead Port it will be able to revert to its normal sailing schedule from July 1, 2025.' An Irish Ferries spokesperson said the 'adapted timetable' was in place to allow for a berth-sharing arrangement and that it 'is currently finalising its freight schedule from July 1'. But the hauliers claim this new schedule has worked very well and reduced congestion at the ports. They have also said it has led to more competition and better prices for sailings – which ultimately means better prices for the consumer, 'The new schedule has had a transformative and positive impact on the flow of trade,' said the letter. 'Instead of two ferries leaving at broadly the same time, as happened prior to the storm damage, we now have seven spaced sailings a day leaving both Dublin and Holyhead. 'The more dispersed sailing frequency has led to less congestion at both Holyhead and Dublin Ports, with improved outcomes for traffic flow and customs processing or other regulatory compliance easier to deal with," it added. The increased variety of sailing times between Dublin and Holyhead leads to far better 24-hour connectivity between both Ireland and Britain, they argued. The new timetable has also had big environmental benefits with reduced congestion at the ports – and on the wider road network in Dublin in particular – meaning fewer emissions, they wrote. 'With the sailings from Dublin leaving now at 4am and 8am we have all the HGV traffic off the M50 and the Port Road before rush hour in the morning and likewise with sailings early in the afternoon the HGV traffic is off the M50 before rush hour going home,' said the letter.
Irish Times
08-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Irish Ferries owner sees slight revenue growth despite Holyhead Port closure
Irish Ferries brand owner Irish Continental Group (ICG) said revenue grew 7.1 per cent for the first four months of the year, driven by growth in their container freight division amid 'uncertainty' caused by the introduction of tariffs. ICG said consolidated group revenue rose to €189.5 million in the period, having stood at €177 million in the same period of 2024 but warned that economic uncertainty 'may damped world growth prospects'. The company sees the 'uncertainties created in the macro environment by tariffs as opportunities,' Eamonn Rothwell, the chief executive of the group, said. 'We bought two ships in the last few weeks at really good deals because there was nervousness about the macro,' he said referring to the company's purchase of the James Joyce cruise ferry and an additional container ship. READ MORE The group said the rise in its net debt to €247.9 million since the end of 2024 when it stood at €162.2 million, was 'due primarily to the vessel acquisitions [ ...] and share buy-backs during the period'. The group said there had been a decrease in revenue at its ferries division, from €119.7 million during the first four months of 2024, to €118.8 million due to the 'detrimental impact' of the closure of Holyhead Port. Ferry services at the port were suspended following damage caused by Storm Darragh at the start of December, one of piers reopened to ferry traffic in January. 'The beginning of 2025 was impacted by the closure of Holyhead Port,' the company said in a trading update issued to shareholders at its AGM. 'This has had a detrimental impact on volumes in the Ferries Division,' the company said and noted that the partial reopening of the port has led to a 'more normalised market' and welcomed the planned full-reopening of the port on 1st of July. The maritime transport group's container freight division saw a 28.6 per cent growth in volume year to date and an increase of 17.6 per cent in revenue for the division. 'Some of that growth,' chief executive said, 'is undoubtedly due to people moving goods before tariffs kicked in, so some of it might be inflated and could unwind a little bit as tariffs come in, but I still think fundamentally there has been underlying growth in the container business.'
RTÉ News
08-05-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
ICG's revenues for the first four months of 2025 sail 7% higher
Irish Ferries owner Irish Continental Group has reported higher revenues for the early part of the year on the back of strength in its Container and Terminal business. In a trading update for the year to May 3, ICG said its consolidated group revenue for the period rose by 7.1% to €189.5m from €177m the same time last year. ICG said the introduction of tariffs by the US has created uncertainty for some trading flows and risks damaging consumer confidence which may lead to some companies deferring investment plans. "All these factors may dampen world growth prospects," the company stated. But it added that due to the strength of its business model and its balance sheet, it continues to avail of macro market weakness to expand its footprint on financially attractive terms. "Recent examples are the purchase of the James Joyce cruise ferry and the purchase of another container ship," it added. ICG said that revenues in its Ferries divison rose dipped by 0.8% to €118.9m from €119.7m the same time last year. For the year to May 3, the number of cars it carried fell by 7.1% to 140,800 from 151,500, while freight carryings dipped by 0.6% to 259,400 RoRo units from 260,900 units in 2024. The company said the start of the year was impacted by the closure of Holyhead Port in the UK, which had a detrimental impact on volumes. "However, with the partial reopening of the Port in mid-January 2025 we have seen a more normalised market. We look forward to the full reopening of the Port on 1 July," the company added. Meanwhile, total revenues at its Container and Terminal Division saw a 17.6% increase to reach €80.9m from €68.8m the same time last year. Container freight volumes shipped jumped by 28.6% to 132,800 teu from 103,300 teu in 2024, it noted. Volumes handled at ICG's terminals in Dublin and Belfast totalled 123,500 units, an increase of almost 10% on the 112,500 units last year, the company added.
Wales Online
08-05-2025
- Wales Online
Holyhead port update on work to restore Storm Darragh damaged ferry terminal
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Stena Line has issued an update on Holyhead port as it works to restore a terminal damaged back in early December. All ferry services at the Anglesey port, owned by Stena Line, were cancelled before the Christmas period after damage during Storm Darragh. Terminal 3 was badly damaged in the incident with a video clip showing the collapse of the 'dolphin' platform which it is understood to have occurred as the Irish Ferries vessel Ulysses was leaving the berth. A dolphin is a structure that is used to guide, berth, or moor ships at a port, dock, or jetty. This also saw the adjacent Terminal 5 berth closed. That terminal reopened back in January which allowed for ferry services to resume between Holyhead and Dublin. Terminal 3 has remained closed but Stena today issued an update on when it would reopen. A port spokesperson said: "Following the completion of necessary repairs, Terminal 3 at Holyhead Port is on schedule to be brought back into operation on 1 July. Since the reopening of Terminal 5 in January, the Port has been operating a full ferry schedule, while teams have been working diligently to repair the damage to Terminal 3." Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox They added: "We are committed to Holyhead Port's long-term future as a vital connection between Wales and Ireland and are putting plans in place for an investment strategy to ensure the resilience of the infrastructure to safeguard the port's sustainable future. (Image: Google) 'We will continue to work with our ferry partners to provide a full ferry schedule while the repairs are completed to ensure no loss in capacity. We will also work collaboratively with the ferry operators to ensure that future planned maintenance work on both berths can be carried out to protect the resilience of the structures whilst maintaining full operations and capacity at the port.' An Irish Sea Resilience Taskforce has been set up, bringing together representatives from across Wales, Ireland and beyond to strengthen vital sea connections between the two Celtic nations. Welsh Government's Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates said they and the UK Government were already committed to supporting the port through the breakwater scheme - putting £40m of funding in place. He added: 'We will also look at how we fund future development at the port and how we get the best bang for our buck from any investments made." The taskforce's core membership includes representatives from the Welsh, Irish, UK, Scottish and Northern Ireland governments, local authorities, port operators, ferry companies, and logistics industry representatives, and will call upon experts for input into specific themes.
