Holyhead (Port)

Latest news

Ferry service resumed after repairs

Full ferry service Holyhead to Dublin has resumed on Jan 15, 2025, after the two berths have been repaired. Johan Edelman, Stena Line trade director (Irish Sea South), described this as an “extremely challenging time for our customers and staff. The extended closure of the ferry berths at Holyhead Port at one of the busiest times of the year was unprecedented and I would like to thank our customers and staff for their patience and resilience. Now that the berth has been cleared to be safely reopened, we moved quickly to put the resources in place to ensure that we could provide a fully operational service on our Holyhead – Dublin route from today (January 15) onwards.”

Holyhead remains clösed until mid-January

Holyhead Port is to remain closed until Jan 15, 2025, at the earliest. All ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead are cancelled until this time. The closure follows the damage to the Terminal 3 berth on Dec 6 by the 'Ulsysses' during Storm Darragh. The damage was still being assessed and the port took the decision to keep the ferry berths closed to provide certainty for passengers, freight customers and ferry operators and allow them make alternative arrangements. Stena Line said it was contacting all affected passengers. People who are booked to travel on the Dublin-Holyhead route from Dec 20 onwards can transfer the booking free of charge to alternative routes, including Dublin-Liverpool, Dublin-Fishguard as well as Belfast-Cairnryan. The company was doing everything in its power to mitigate the effects of the closure on passenger and freight traffic. 10,000 freight vehicles were moving in and out of Holyhead per week before its closure. 60% of the goods coming into Ireland normally move through the damaged port.

Sailings will remain cancelled until after christmas

Damage to Holyhead Port during storm Darragh is feared to be worse than originally thought, and could see ferry services cancelled until after Christmas, resulting in Christmas parcels travelling to and from Ireland being delayed until after the festive season, with people travelling for the festive period also affected. Initally all services were cancelled until Dec 20, but the damage was becoming more apparent as the days went by. Port bosses revealed on Dec 16, that the reported two separate incidents on December 6 and 7 had led to part of the berth structure collapsing and becoming unusable, with underwater inspections of the structural integrity of other berths taking place from Dec 10, after the passing of Darragh. This process was still ongoing. Ferry services will only be permitted to resume once it was sure it would be safe. On Dec 15 the junior minister at the Department of Transport, James Lawless, met his Welsh counterpart Ken Skates. Both met with Stena Line on Dec 16 at 1 p.m. Both ministers were asking for Stena Line to give more accurate and timely updates on the scale of the damage and repairs needed at Holyhead.