Fine Gael TD for Limerick Patrick O’Donovan has welcomed the announcement that Shannon Foynes Port is one of only three ports nationally that have been identified by the Department of Transport as Tier 1 ports in the new classification of our State ports. Patrick O’Donovan was speaking after Minister Leo Varadkar published the Government’s National Port Policy.
“Today the Government have recognised the very special place that Shannon Foynes has in our national infrastructure. It is the only port on the western sea board that has been identified as a Tier 1 port and together with ports in Dublin and Cork will form be critical parts of our national infrastructure into the future. Each of these three port companies handle a minimum of 15% of the overall national trade, and that is a figure which each of the ports names as Tier 1 will be expected to grow substantially in the future.”
Patrick O’Donovan added that the significance of the designation could not be over stated and said he believed that it underlined the need for major investment in road and rail connectivity to Foynes. “This designation follows the recent publication by the port authority of their own strategic plan, which identified the need for improvements to the road and rail network as key parts of the ports future ability to expand. I believe that the designation can be used now by the port authority and the Local Authority to push for much needed investment in the area to ensure that we can really see the benefit of having a port of national significance in Co. Limerick.”
Patrick O’Donovan paid tribute to the work of the board and staff of the port. “It is fair to say that very positive work has been done in recent times in Shannon Foynes, and this designation of the port as a port of major strategic national importance proves that the work that they are doing is bearing fruit. The Shannon estuary with the port of Foynes in particular has great potential because of the depth of water and the size of ships that can berth there. We have an opportunity now with this designation to see Shannon Foynes become a major economic driver in the Limerick and the Midwest Region and we must make every effort to ensure that the full potential of the port to create jobs along the estuary is realised.”