The Dublin-Cherbourg and Rosslare-Cherbourg routes have been included in emergency Government funding for continued ferry services.
This week, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross, announced the designation of five strategic maritime routes as Public Service Obligation (PSO) routes. This designation is temporary, lasting for up to three months, and is in response to the restrictions on movement and shipping brought about by Covid-19.
The state will make a maximum contribution of €15 million towards the costs involved in the continued operation of passenger ferry services on these routes in the three-month period.
The funding will be targeted at compensating the gap between specified costs and revenues generated on the services, which will be established in contracts with the ferry companies.
“The five routes in question are of strategic importance to Ireland because they ensure the robustness and resilience of Ireland’s lifeline supply chain, which is critically important at this time for the movement of goods, including food and medical supplies, into and out of Ireland,” Minister Ross said.
He added: “Measures to control the Covid-19 pandemic have now practically stopped passenger traffic on combined passenger/roll-on/roll-off ferries on the southern and continental routes to and from Ireland. This revenue is necessary for the operations’ economic viability.
Because of this, it has become clear that urgent measures are necessary to assist in the continuation of roll-on/roll-off freight transport on these services over the next few months.
Concluding, the minister said: “These routes also provide alternatives and maintain contingency options to the main route into and out of Dublin during Covid-19. In addition, it is critically important that these services are operating when economic activity resumes in the coming months and we prepare for Brexit.”
Increased lairage
Last month, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, confirmed that the smaller of the two lairage facilities at Cherbourg, Pignet, has been approved to take 2,700 calves by French veterinary authorities.
A spokesperson for the minister explained at the time: “This represents an extra 1,200 places over and above Pignet’s previous capacity of 1,500, which had been in place over the past year. From Friday, March 13, permanent approval has been granted for 2,700 calf places.
“The other lairage, Qualivia, remains with 2,900 places, giving a total capacity in Cherbourg of 5,600 calves,” the spokesperson added.