Irish Ferries owner calls for Brexit easements on Ireland-UK freight routes

The MS Star which will be transformed into the Irish Ferries 'Oscar Wilde' to operate on the Rosslare to Pembroke route from June.

Sarah Collins

The owner of Irish Ferries has called for ‘green lanes’ for freight on routes between Ireland and the UK, for goods destined for Northern Ireland.

Irish Continental Group (ICG) used a trading update on Thursday to call for the recent post-Brexit Windsor Agreement - which will see most customs checks suspended for trade between Britain and Northern Ireland - to be replicated for freight travelling from the UK, via Ireland, to the North.

“If a trader can be trusted to enter Northern Ireland and not enter the Republic of Ireland, then it would appear logical that the trader can be equally trusted to enter via the Republic of Ireland and go directly to Northern Ireland,” ICG said.

“This would allow Northern Ireland goods to travel via the shortest, most efficient, and environmentally friendly route.”

ICG said it has written to the Irish government and the EU to ask them to consider the proposal.

It comes as revenue and volumes in its container and terminal division remain down, while its ferries division saw a boost.

Total container and terminal revenues in the first four months of the year were down 2.9pc on 2022, driven by a reduction in volumes.

For the year to 6 May, container freight volumes shipped were down 13.9pc on the previous year, primarily due to a slowdown in deep sea volumes.

Units handled at ICG terminals in Dublin and Belfast decreased 8.3pc year on year.

However, ICG said it expects a continuation of the trend of freight customers returning to the UK land bridge for trade between Ireland and the EU.

Total revenues in its ferries division were up 8.7pc on last year.

For the year to 6 May, Irish Ferries carried 129,600 cars, an increase of 5.9pc on the previous year.

Freight carryings were 229,200 roll-on, roll-off units, an increase of 3.2pc compared with 2022.

Consolidated group revenue for the first four months of the year was £163.4m, up 1.4pc compared with last year.

Last week ICG took delivery of the Oscar Wilde, its largest and fastest passenger cruise ferry on the Irish Sea, which will initially enter service on the Rosslare to Pembroke route in early June, replacing the chartered Blue Star 1 for the summer period.