Dublin Port Company’s Pat Ward talks about the redevelopment of the Alexandra Basin
By
Rebecca Gibson |
This article was first published in the Autumn/Winter 2015 issue of International Cruise & Ferry Review.
Dublin Port Company is celebrating the news that its plans to redevelop the port’s Alexandra Basin have been approved by An Bord Pleanála.
The project, which was covered in 2014’s Itinerary Planning Report, will see dredging in the River Liffey to increase the depth of the port’s berths and the entrance channel from 7m to at least 10m and beyond, to meet future demand. This will eliminate access issues caused by tides and enable large cruise and cargo ships to turn in Alexandra Basin and dock at East Link Bridge, rather than reversing up the Liffey to their berth as they do now.
“It’s great news for Dublin Port, the city of Dublin and the island of Ireland at large,” says Pat Ward. “Dublin is the gateway to Ireland for the cruise industry, and it’s essential that Dublin Port Company continues to facilitate passenger demand so that the city remains a port of choice for the cruise industry, for their ships and, indeed, their passengers.”
The Alexandra Basin Redevelopment project will enable Dublin Port to handle the largest cruise ships in the world and offer the modern facilities they need to dock – all within striking distance of the city.
“There is now huge potential for us to increase our cruise calls and develop the turnaround business here in Dublin, and I’ve had some very productive discussions with cruise line executives with regards to establishing Dublin as a homeport,” Ward explains. “Over the last ten years, we’ve seen our cruise business doubling, and we have the skillset and the infrastructure to develop and build on this for the purposes of homeporting.”
The popularity and potential of Dublin is reflected in the port’s numbers. 200,000 cruise visitors will visit Dublin in 2015, not forgetting in excess of 45,000 crew members.
“Dublin is well placed geographically as the gateway to Europe and Ireland,” Ward says. “Our transport infrastructure – air, road and rail – is excellent. The port’s proximity to Dublin Airport lends itself to being a natural homeport for the cruise industry, and the Alexandra Basin Redevelopment project further enhances the scope and potential to develop Dublin Port as the port of choice for all cruise calls.”
The project is likely to get underway at the end of October 2015, with a project management office already staffed and in place. Work is scheduled for completion by 2019.
“We’re very conscious of the fact that our cruises are a vital part of our business and our city’s economy in general,” Ward says. “Equally, we have to be very conscious of our existing customers that operate the ferries and ro-ro vessels. Dublin Port is the heart of the economic engine for not only the city but the country at large, so it’s crucial this work is done with minimal, if any, disruption to our existing customers.”