Irish parcels stuck in Holyhead rerouted in bid to prevent Christmas chaos
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The last of the 150,000 UK parcels destined for Ireland delayed by the closure of the port at Holyhead have been rerouted to other UK ports, An Post has said.
It comes as industry figures don’t expect Holyhead Port to open next Thursday, which could plunge Christmas travel plans for tens of thousands travelling to and from Ireland into chaos.
Due to damage caused by Storm Darragh, Holyhead Port has been closed and will remain so until at least late next week.
An Post has said it is not counting on Holyhead being reopened before Christmas. It has also said that many UK retailers have worked with ferry companies to secure alternative routes into Ireland.
In a statement Friday, it said: “Many UK retailers are working with ferry companies to secure alternative routes on larger vessels into Ireland while Holyhead remains closed.
“Larger capacity ferries are now accessing Ireland from Wales, Scotland and Liverpool via Rosslare Europort, Larne and Dublin Port, and will continue to do so right up to Christmas and into New Year 2025.”
On Amazon.co.uk on Friday, many items that would usually arrive within just a few days are giving estimated delivery dates well into next week or even after Christmas.
An Post said that if customers ordered before Storm Darragh but haven’t received their parcel yet, it should arrive in the coming days but check with your retailer.
If you’re planning to order from UK retailers, An Post said to check their delivery dates to Ireland as many of them have secured working routes into the country, but dispatch times could take longer.
“Overnight and this morning, An Post received over 350,000 UK parcels into its Dublin, Portlaoise and Athlone hubs for processing and delivery tomorrow (Saturday) and early next week,” it said.
“These large hubs have the latest technology, equipment and additional Christmas staff to meet this challenge and to deal with parcels arriving by air, as well as large volumes of domestic parcels being posted by Irish brands and personal customers.
“The ferries bringing incoming goods via Dublin, Larne and Rosslare are also carrying outbound parcel traffic back to the UK and beyond, though this may add some time to the journey.”
Meanwhile, exporters, hauliers and maritime experts are concerned that the situation for cross-channel transport will worsen next week as passenger traffic increases for the holidays, further straining a system that is already under pressure.
Simon McKeever, from the Exporters Association, said a coordinated effort was needed from the Irish, Welsh and British governments to reach solutions while Holyhead was still closed.
He said he does not believe Holyhead would be re-opened by December 19, and rerouting for routes would be essential.
“There's a big coordination that needs to be done to make sure that all of this rerouting can be done through the various different parts, and that those ports have the capacity,” he told RTÉ Radio.
Mr McKeever said that in terms of toys or consumer electronics that people have bought from the UK, they will be affected by the ongoing issues.
“That's the Santa Claus, or lack of Santa Claus, story,” he added.
The Department of Transport had already indicated that additional capacity is being provided by Rosslare.
“While the Port of Cork currently has no direct UK sailings, it has indicated that it has the capacity to operate one sailing a day, possibly two based on scheduling,” it said.
“Solutions for the medium term, if necessary, are also under consideration.” Both Stena Line and Irish Ferries were advising passengers that all services were cancelled through to next week, and the possibility of alternate sailings.
Irish Ferries told customers it could avail of alternate services between Rosslare and Pembroke.
Stena Line said: “Due to the closure of Holyhead Port, Stena Line has cancelled all ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead until Friday 20th December. We are currently in the process of contacting all affected customers.
“We are currently assessing options for additional sailings to our ports in Birkenhead (Liverpool) and Fishguard. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused.”