Building the Future at the Regions Ports

Press Release 30.01.06

PRESS RELEASE

The major investments in road infrastructure in the region, some of which have begun – the Ennis by-pass, for example – and those which are scheduled to start in the near future, like the Limerick tunnel, will bring huge benefits for business and commuters alike. Shannon Foynes Port Company (SFPC) is playing a pivotal role in addressing the logistics needs of the construction phase in these projects by facilitating the import of some of the many specialised materials and pre-fabricated assemblies which they require.

One of the first vessels to visit the estuary in 2006 was the MV. Skulte, which discharged its cargo of special steel girder assemblies at Limerick dock. These products, weighing over 20 tonnes each and with a length of 20 metres, are destined for bridge construction as part of the Ennis by-pass project; they originated in Turkey, having been specially designed and manufactured there, and with their specialised design and finish, required very sensitive handling to prevent any damage. This was the first of a number of shipments for this specific project

John Dundon, Managing Director of Mullock & Sons (Shipbrokers) Ltd and a non – Executive Director of SFPC, who acted as logistic provider for this shipment commented " this is an exciting time for infrastructural projects in the Mid – West region and on the West Coast of our Island as the region continues to grow  and I can not over stress the importance of terminals such as Limerick Dock  to facilitate such out of gauge projects which can be safely brought inland to the nearest location of construction thereby reducing heavy traffic off our roads "    

While SFPC is renowned for its bulk cargo handling capability, the location of the terminals and their ability to deal with specialised loads such as these has proven of immense value to infrastructure projects in the West of Ireland; the company also handled the huge components for six different wind-farm projects during 2005, and anticipates a doubling of this traffic in 2006. According to Martin Morrissey, Commercial Manager at SFPC, “a combination of location and efficient handling ensure that these projects avoid significant costs, particularly in inland haulage. The company has built up considerable expertise in the specialised handling required for such cargoes and this provides shippers with the confidence that the projects will be handled correctly in a timely manner.”

Shannon Foynes Port Company is a commercial state owned Company and is the estuarial port authority with responsibility for the entire Shannon Estuary. In addition to its terminal operations, warehousing and distribution networks, the Company governs the safe passage of all maritime traffic and port activity in the estuary, regularly accommodating vessels up to 200,000 tonnes.

For further information contact :

Martin Morrissey

Commercial Manager

Shannon Foynes Port Company

mmorrissey@sfpc.ie