UK port closed for Christmas following storm damage

CGTN Europe

One of the UK’s busiest ports will remain closed following significant damage from a recent storm, named ‘Storm Darragh’.  It’ll have a significant impact on Christmas deliveries.   CGTN’s Ray Addison reports.   #UK #Storm #StormDarragh

Transcript

00:00Storm Darragh brought crashing waves and winds of 150km per hour, battering the UK coastline

00:09and forcing the closure of Holyhead port in Anglesey, the main sea route between North

00:14Wales and Dublin, and responsible for 60% of the freight into Ireland.

00:20As the storm cleared, Stenaline, which owns the port, said Holyhead would remain closed

00:24until December 20th, as it carries out underwater inspections.

00:29But now the port has announced that it will remain closed until the 15th of January at

00:34the earliest, due to damage to Terminal 3, of all ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead

00:40cancelled until this time.

00:43Around 1,200 trucks and trailers usually make the crossing every day, and the closure has

00:48already meant disruption to the vital flow of exports to and from Ireland.

00:54It's also forced Ireland's National Postal Service to abandon plans to use Holyhead for

00:59Christmas deliveries, but it says now that it's almost cleared the backlog.

01:04The port has apologised for the disruption, saying the safety of our colleagues and customers

01:09is our first priority, and we will only permit ferry services to recommence once we are sure

01:15it is safe to do so.

01:17Stena says it is using other ports to assist the flow of trade and passengers, whether

01:22the closure has devastated many firms who benefit from the seasonal increase in trade,

01:28with the extended closure only worsening the situation for struggling businesses in both

01:33the UK and Ireland.

01:35Ray Addison, CGTN.

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