A €100 million investment by Seatruck Ferries, the Irish Sea freight specialist, will increase capacity on Heysham to Warrenpoint route by 30%.
Seatruck will deploy two larger freight ferries on the route later this summer, in direct response to growing demand for unaccompanied trailer space and enabling the firm to carry 30,000 additional trailers annually on the key crossing.
The move will see the four-deck Seatruck Precision and Seatruck Performance replace the current three-deck vessels and operate an 11-time weekly service between the ports.
Alistair Eagles, Chief Executive of Seatruck Ferries, said: “Whatever the outcome of the Brexit land border negotiations, Warrenpoint Port will continue to be a cornerstone of the Seatruck operation.
“I clearly remember watching the very first Seatruck sailing from Warrenpoint in 1996. Even back then we had a very strong belief in our business model, our service and our future strategy.
“Adding larger ships to the Warrenpoint route is the next logical step for Seatruck and I have no doubt that it will be very popular providing more unaccompanied trailer space to our growing customer base, as the industry seeks solutions to the ongoing driver shortage.
“The larger vessels underline the need for the Southern Relief Road which will connect Warrenpoint Port directly to the main Belfast-Dublin motorway. Seatruck fully support this key piece of infrastructure.”
In welcoming the announcement, Clare Guinness, Chief Executive of Warrenpoint Port said: “This is a significant investment by Seatruck Ferries and is a clear commitment to Warrenpoint Port and the wider Newry, Mourne and Down district, which will directly benefit from the increase in trade.
“We have a strong relationship with Seatruck and the Port is supporting the company with the provision of additional terminal areas.
“Our recently launched Masterplan outlined our vision for the development of the Port for benefit of the wider economy and community. Part of that strategy is to grow freight ferry volumes and this welcome announcement will assist the Port in realising that vision.
“It also makes all the more pressing, the need for increased space at the Port which must also be supported by key infrastructure projects such as the South Relief Road.”
