Glenn Carr General Manager Rail Freight & Rosslare Europort

Glenn Carr

General Manager Rail Freight & Rosslare Europort

Brexit, freight, and wind energy driving progress at Rosslare Europort

Emma Dunphy interviewed Glenn Carr, General Manager of Rail Freight & Rosslare Europort, to gain an insight into the current and future developments and opportunities for Rosslare Europort and County Wexford Q: Tell us about the Port of Rosslare? What are its main characteristics?

A: Rosslare Europort is the closest geographical port to Europe and is the fourth largest port in Ireland in terms of overall tonnage handled, and the State’s second largest roll on-roll off (Ro-Ro) traffic and passenger port. The port is operated as a division of Iarnród Éireann, which is the Port Authority for Rosslare Europort, and is just over 90 minutes from Dublin.

With excellent road, rail and sea connectivity, Rosslare Europort can expertly handle roll on- roll off freight and passengers, agricultural and trade vehicles, bulk cargo, oversize loads, cruise ships, wind turbines, and other offshore renewable energy facilities. Rosslare Europort offers a comprehensive service, including mooring, stevedoring and passenger-car / freight check-in for RoRo shipping lines. The port has a fleet of Tugmasters service, fork-lift trucks, tractors, and other handling equipment to cater for nonstandard RoRo freight. Rosslare Europort is Ireland’s number one port for direct Ro-Ro services to Europe with 30+ weekly services operating to and from Rosslare with Brittainy Ferries, Stena Line, and DFDS to the ports of Bilbao, Cherbourg, and Dunkirk. The port also offers 54 weekly services to and from Rosslare to the ports of Pembroke and Fishguard in the UK with Irish Ferries and Stena Lines.

Covid-19 has had a major impact on the activities of Rosslare Europort and provided many unforeseen challenges. How have you dealt with these challenges? Do you feel that you have adapted well?

The Covid pandemic has affected us all in so many ways. Our priority was to keep our colleagues and customers of the port safe. Like many organisations, overnight we had to change our operations and how we worked, while, at the same time, ensure that the port remained fully operational so that the supply chains could be protected in and out of the country. In Ireland, the various stakeholders in our industry have collectively come together and worked in a collaborative way with the support of Government and all key State agencies. At a Rosslare level, we introduced many new working protocols, procedures, testing, equipment, etc. to protect our staff and operations. Great credit for this is down to the staff of the port, shipping lines, haulage companies, and the State agency staff working at the port. Financially, this has brought added cost to our business, but also sizable loss of revenue with the travel restriction on passenger services. As we move through 2021 and the vaccine rollout, we are very much looking forward to welcoming our passengers back and are excited about the opportunity to grow this market, as we have seen with freight through the additional new services we have operating now at the port.

Brexit has brought challenges to Rosslare Port as well as all industries across Ireland. Do you think that Brexit may also have brought opportunities? Brexit has brought uncertainty, risk, significant additional administration, and cost to the supply chain in Ireland. For me, it is quite simple to avoid by going direct from Ireland to other member states of the EU. With Rosslare being the closest port to Europe, there are considerable benefits for the shipping lines to operate out of the port. We worked closely with several shipping lines in trying to convince them to come to Rosslare and demonstrated the opportunities that Rosslare could offer. The market was clear that it wanted and needed more direct services and connections to the EU and to avoid the Landbridge. It has been terrific to see Brittainy Ferries, Stena Line, and DFDS step up with both the increase in capacity but, more importantly, the increase in frequency. The new and additional services out of Rosslare have given real choice and alternatives for industry across all sectors in Ireland and have been hugely welcomed by all, enabling Rosslare to become a port of National significance. Brexit has had a significant impact on the port, both positive and negative. UK freight through the port has declined by over 30% to date. However, our Continental freight has increased by a phenomenal +440% and, overall, freight through the port is up +60%, which is a terrific story against the challenges the industry has faced in 2020 and 2021.

Rosslare Europort worked with all stakeholders through 2019 and 2020 ensuring that all Brexit plans were put in place. Huge efforts and planning were put in place, which saw additional resources recruited, new border check facilities, new traffic management systems, ship

scheduling reviews, a full communication and advertising campaign, and review of operations and safety procedures at the port. The focus was to ensure that the port would remain congestion- free, and that traffic would move through the port efficiently and without delays, and we have been extremely happy that this has been achieved.

What projects are currently underway and how busy is the Port? There are four major investment plans identified for the port over the next three to eight years. These include. • The port Masterplan with a capital investment of €42 million over the planning period which is necessary to maintain

Rosslare’s position in the RORO/RORO Passenger market into the future and to better serve existing and new customers.

Phase 1 works will commence in Q3 2021, with Phases 2, 3, and 4 being completed over the next number of years of the five-year plan. • A new link road will be constructed and connected to the port and the new freight entrance which will provide direct access onto the final planned motorway that will be built and will connect Rosslare by motorway to all the major hubs in the country. • Significant investment is planned for the permanent BCP (Border Control Post) at the port that will provide state- of- the- art facilities to ensure all regulatory checks take place with trade from third countries, especially the UK. • Rosslare Eurosport offers the best location for Ireland’s National

Offshore Wind Energy Hub. The port has the capability to be developed in the coming years to meet the needs of the industry. We have put forward an extremely ambitious €200 million plan to the Irish government to ensure that the required port infrastructure and facilities can be delivered to meet the needs of the industry and deliver the best return on the investment for the country.

You are currently in Year Two of Rosslare Europort’s strategic plan that focuses on five key areas. What key areas are you focusing on, and are you on track to achieve the objectives of this plan? In 2018, the port was facing a significant number of challenges and opportunities. Following my appointment, I undertook a Strategic Plan for Rosslare Europort which was ratified by our Board. Our plan focuses on five key areas: Infrastructure Masterplan, Business Development, Operational Efficiency, Digitalisation of the Port and Brexit.

We are making significant positive progress in several areas: Business Development: Our Strategic Plan identified the imperative for additional revenues generated through existing or new customers, business expansion with existing ports, or new ports served from Rosslare, attracting new bulk and/or trade car opportunities, and exploring the possibility of developing the port as a supply base for emerging offshore wind energy in Ireland. New services out of Rosslare have been secured with a significant increase in services to the Continent with DFDS, Stena Line, and Brittainy Ferries. Services to and from Rosslare in 2021 to the Continent have increased from six per week in January 2020 to 30+ per week from Q1 2021. Masterplan: The Masterplan for Rosslare was granted planning permission in Q4 2020 and has identified a number of key infrastructure investments to make better use of available capacity, improve efficiencies and target specific sectors, while promoting the benefits of congestion-free access to European and UK markets. Operations Efficiency: A review of the operating model in Rosslare Europort aligned to the current and future growth will be completed by Q2 2021. Rosslare Europort will be a seven-day operation, 24 hours a day, with a continued focus on delivering an efficient, safe, and flexible service to all our customers. integrated Port Terminal Management system. The system will be used to support freight / passenger check-in, vehicle recognition, custom port clearance, CCTV and damage reporting, resource planning, operational performance and automation, data capture, billing, and administration activity at Rosslare Europort.

Rosslare Europort is ideally positioned to be the gateway for the development of offshore wind energy in Ireland. What are the plans for the strategically placed port? Significant offshore wind developments are planned in both the Irish and Celtic seas and Rosslare Europort is best positioned to be developed to meet the needs of this industry. Currently, no port in the Republic of Ireland has the required facilities that will be necessary for the multiple projects that are planned in the coming years. Following an extensive review of the industry, and consultation with the key players who will be commissioning the projects, a detailed plan, design, and business case for development of a purpose-built offshore wind energy facility at the port has been submitted to government. But it is crucial that we design and build a facility that does not just meet the needs of the offshore customer, but we must also ensure that we do not interfere or compromise the current and future RoRo activity at the port. To achieve this balance, we believe the plans which we have put forward meets the criteria and ambition that is needed to ensure Rosslare Europort can fully exploit both future offshore wind and RoRo freight and passenger opportunities that will emerge. Competition from other ports and regions, both inside and outside of Ireland, will be fierce to attract this business and it will be vital that all public representatives, communities, and businesses in Wexford get behind our plan and support us in securing the funding, the business case and delivering the plan, so that, collectively, the benefits are realised for the county.

Will the upcoming plans and developments for Rosslare Port have a positive impact on its surrounding areas? Absolutely, Rosslare Europort is not just the gateway to Europe for the country, but it is the engine driver for the county. You just have to look at the last six months and the increase in activity and all the benefits that it is bringing, such as jobs and new business into the county. The story of Rosslare has been incredibly positive with media outlets from across the world showing an interest and highlighting the national importance of the port to our economy. It is fair to say that without Rosslare Europort, and the new services we have secured, Brexit would have had a much more severe effect on businesses and the economy. It is a great credit to all involved at the port and the role we have played in helping the country through incredibly challenging times. Rosslare Europort is now firmly on the map and we are committed to further building on what we have started.

What does the future look like for Rosslare Europort? There will be challenges ahead. Considering where we were just over three years ago when I first came to the port, I hope the people of Wexford feel that the changes we have been able to deliver have been positive. And that, we have restored a little of their faith and trust, knowing that we are determined to develop the port to its full potential. The future of the port is looking very positive, we are commencing Phase 1 of our Masterplan later this year, and freight is +60% ahead of last year. The digitalisation plan for the port has started, further investment by the Government and Wexford County Council is planned with the BCP and the new port access road. The port is in the National Development Plan, we have an ambitious plan for offshore wind energy, and we are excited with the potential growth for tourism and passengers that the new and additional services will bring post- Covid.