London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Brexit: Why Irish freight trade is avoiding Britain

Brexit: Why Irish freight trade is avoiding Britain

Nearly two months after Great Britain (GB) left the EU single market and customs union, the volume of freight being shipped across the Irish Sea from the Republic of Ireland to GB is still down significantly, raising further questions about government claims that trading volumes are returning to normal.

Companies trying to avoid red tape and potential delays associated with Brexit are sending freight on much longer sea routes directly to the continent, rather than using the traditional 'land bridge' route across Britain.

The number of weekly ferry crossings from Irish ports to France has risen sharply, with more likely to be added.

In the week to 22 February, freight volumes on Stena Line ferries from the Republic of Ireland to GB were down 49% compared to the same week last year, while volumes going directly to France were up 102%.

Direct routes


The direct sea routes to France are slightly slower and more expensive than crossing the Irish Sea and then driving south through Wales and England to cross the Channel between Dover and Calais.

But going direct avoids the new post-Brexit checks and paperwork associated with the Dover-Calais route, and the Stena Line figures are reflected across the industry. It means lorries never leave the single market, and they avoid new customs formalities.

Stena has started a new route from Dublin to Cherbourg to go alongside its existing route from Rosslare to Cherbourg. It now has 14 weekly crossings between Ireland and the continent compared to six last year.

New service


Another new route is run by DFDS Seaways from Rosslare to Dunkirk, close to Calais. It provides easy access into the heart of Europe.

DFDS says the service, which runs six times a week and takes just under 24 hours, is almost always oversubscribed. An announcement of additional sailings is expected shortly.

"The new routes are booming," says Glenn Carr, the general manager of Rosslare Europort, "for both accompanied (by a driver) and unaccompanied units."

"At one stage in January freight trade to the UK was down 70%. It's picked up since then, but now the week-on-week increase is only incremental."

Overall, there are currently 36 sailings per week from Ireland to Northern France, up from 12 a year ago. And Rosslare's freight traffic with mainland Europe rose by a remarkable 446% in January, compared to 2020.

"Businesses have just made strategic decisions to move their trade," Mr Carr says.

About 160 new jobs have already been created at Rosslare by government agencies, shipping lines and the port authority itself, and extra business has been generated for local garages and cafes.

'What customers want'


Irish haulage companies have noticed the change.

"We're exporting about 150 to 200 loads to France every week," says Chris Smyth, the commercial director of Perennial Freight in Wexford, just up the coast from Rosslare.


"Last year, it was about 100 a week."

"It's what our customers want. Big businesses in particular like the certainty and the lack of hassle."

Mr Smyth says a lot of companies in Northern Ireland (the only part of the UK which is continuing to follow the rules of the EU single market) are now sending freight south to export directly from Dublin and Rosslare.

Industry sources also say Apple, which has its European headquarters in Cork, has instructed hauliers to use the direct sea routes to ship its products to Europe.

We contacted Apple about this but it declined to comment.

Losing out?


Last year more than 150,000 lorries used the UK land bridge to reach continental Europe from Ireland.

Campaigners who want to see less congestion on Britain's motorways will not mind a significant reduction.

The places with most to lose may be Welsh ports like Holyhead and Fishguard, which rely heavily on trade across the Irish Sea. But at least some of their lost trade could gradually return.


There is more jeopardy from bad weather on the longer routes, especially at this time of year. There have been a number of ferry cancellations recently.

Industry sources also say more lorries are coming back empty on the direct sea route, because Ireland is a relatively small market. When lorries travel via the UK land bridge, they can also make deliveries in Britain en route to Ireland.

For small companies with lower profit margins, that kind of flexibility can be a crucial consideration. But larger companies are taking steps to avoid the land bridge for importing into Ireland, as well as exporting out of it.

At least 20 lorries carrying Amazon purchases have been arriving directly into Rosslare from the continent every day since the beginning of the year.

Previously most would have come from Britain.

Import checks


For hauliers who want to continue using the land bridge, things are about to get more complicated.

At the moment, they only have to face new export bureaucracy when they leave Britain and arrive in France.

Soon (in April and then more widely in July) they will be facing similar import measures when they arrive in Britain from Ireland, making the post-Brexit border procedures on the land bridge even more cumbersome.

"There's been a seismic shift to the direct routes," concludes Chris Smyth. "Not all of it will stick, but a lot of it will."


Confused by Brexit jargon? Reality Check unpacks the basics.



Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×