Irish sea routes 'help avoid new Brexit delays plaguing English ports'

Port of Felixstowe: Shipping giant Maersk says port is currently among one of the affected ports.

The bust-up between the UK and the EU on the Irish Sea trade protocol has highlighted the success of the direct sea routes to France in cutting out British motorways to access continental markets and avoid snarl-ups plaguing English Channel ports, hauliers and trade experts have said. 

Felixstowe in eastern England is the latest British port to become congested. Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping company, has diverted some vessels from Felixstowe because a lack of truck drivers means there is nowhere left to stack containers. 

Meanwhile, the British government has reopened a dispute over customs checks for goods from Britain to the North after the signing of the Northern Ireland Protocol less than 10 months ago.      

The trade checks became necessary to protect the EU's customs and single markets because the North uniquely has a foot in both the customs unions of both the EU and the UK.  

The dispute has re-flared even as many experts believe renegotiating checks at Larne and Cairnryan ports over pharmaceuticals and some food products could have been significantly eased by low-profile negotiations.   

Aidan Flynn, general manager at the Freight Transport Association of Ireland, the FTAI, said the flare-up shows the success of direct sea routes such as the Rosslare and Dunkirk launched ahead of Brexit. 

Direct sailings by all lines from Ireland to the continent expanded to 44 from only 12 before Brexit and have helped Irish exporters and importers to bypass the snarl-ups at channel ports previously reached by the so-called land-bridge through England or Scotland. 

Additional costs

The Government should be urged to tap EU Brexit funds to help incentivise shipping lines to set up more direct routes and to subsidise the additional costs for Irish exporters and importers to trade with the rest of Europe, he said.  

Delivering a container by a direct sea route from Ireland to France costs €1,400 compared with up to €900 by the land-bridge. The additional cost should be covered by EU funds, Mr Flynn said.  

He said the Irish-France direct sea routes had helped Irish truckers avoid escalating problems at English ports. Trade expert John Whelan said attracting more capacity on direct routes was feasible.          

"Felixstowe is currently among one of the affected ports. The main factors in addition to pandemic impact behind this situation are high consumption demand and lack of truck drivers for landside distribution," Maersk said.

Conservative Party co-chairman Oliver Dowden said the issues at the port were easing and reiterated the supply chain problems facing Britain were due to shortages of truckers and port congestion.

"The situation is improving," Mr Dowden said, referring to Felixstowe, which handles 36% of the country's containerised freight. But its exit from the EU has exacerbated some of the problems by constricting immigration.

Britain is short of about 100,000 truckers, leading to queues for fuel at filling stations and worries about getting food into supermarkets, with a lack of butchers and warehouse workers also causing concern. 

• Additional reporting Reuters