Fears are growing that the continued closure of the Holyhead Port to ferry traffic could impact stocks for Christmas shopping and cause a delay in deliveries.
The port has been closed since December 7 following damage from Storm Darragh which impacted infrastructure. The incident means the port has remain closed to marine traffic.
Consequently, all ferry services between Dublin Port and Holyhead in Wales have been suspended since last weekend despite efforts to get things up and running ahead of the Christmas rush.
It has now been learned that the port could remain shut until Thursday, 19 December due to damage caused by the Storm, when 94mph winds tore across the UK and Ireland.
Worries are mounting that shipments will not be delivered during one of the busiest trading periods between Ireland and the UK.
There are already concerns that Christmas presents will not arrive on time, with Amazon UK currently saying that many goods to Ireland won’t be delivered until 28 December.
Passenger numbers are also expected to climb next week as people start their journeys home for Christmas on Stena Line and Irish Ferries services.
It comes at one of the busiest trading periods between the Republic of Ireland and the UK, with passenger numbers also expected to swell next week as families begin travelling for the Christmas holiday.
Ger Hyland, president of the Irish Road Haulage Association, said that he expects some goods “will not be delivered in time” for Christmas.
“We’re really going to struggle to get goods delivered to both the high street and for internet shopping,” Mr Hyland told the BBC.
“It is my reckoning that it’s not going to be delivered in time.”
He said the decision is “disastrous” and that there is freight currently “lying idle” in both Dublin and Holyhead ports, with alternative routes completely booked out.
He said that many last-minute goods such as fragrances, books and Christmas produce, may not arrive on shelves in time for Christmas. The chief of the IRHA also noted a shortage of drivers, saying that around one in five had returned to their home countries in Eastern Europe, meaning other drivers would have to be recruited to transport stock.
Simon McKeever of Irish Exporters told the BBC that the impact is affecting Ireland, the UK, and Wales.
“From an Irish point of view it’s impacting manufacturing business because they’re waiting for critical inputs, the raw materials to turn it and send it back off the island,” he said.
He also said that delays will affect consumers, with the trailers stuck in Holyhead and Dublin containing “a bit of everything” from pharmaceuticals to foods.
“If it reopens [on Friday], my logistics members are telling me we will have a great Christmas,” he said.
“If it’s not, and this goes into next week, and it goes into the additional amounts of passenger volumes that will be on with their vehicles on those vessels, then we’re going to have a problem.”
The Irish Exporters Association has also said that the backlog in both Dublin and Wales will take days to clear.
A spokesperson from An Post subdued fears around deliveries, telling the media that parcels would be delivered as soon as possible.
“We’ll be ready for the Holyhead parcels when they arrive over the weekend – so we can get them through and out on delivery ASAP,” an An Post spokesperson said.
“We invested €6 million in expanding our parcel tech and capacity in Portlaoise and Athlone hubs this year, and we have 1,400 Christmas casuals helping to process and deliver parcels and letters too,” they added.
It also said that hauliers had been diverting to other routes including Rosslare Europort in an effort to avoid delays at Holyhead.
However, the postal service is encouraging people not to hold off until the last minute to send presents and cards in the post, with the deadline for the last post to arrive for Christmas in all part of England, Scotland and Wales being December 18.
“We’re seeing huge volumes of Christmas cards being posted in the last few days, particularly to family and friends abroad. The latest date for guaranteed parcel delivery across Europe is today, and next Tuesday for cards,” An Post said.