Dublin Port ‘as ready as possible’ for Brexit

Eamonn O’Reilly noted Port spending €30m in preparation

Eamonn O’Reilly, chief executive of Dublin Port. Photograph: Enda O’Dowd
Eamonn O’Reilly, chief executive of Dublin Port. Photograph: Enda O’Dowd

The chief executive of Dublin Port says that the facility "will be as ready as possible" on 29th March when the UK is scheduled to leave the EU.

"We started planning in December 2017," Eamonn O'Reilly told RTE's Morning Ireland.

So far €30million has been spent in preparation to ensure that the necessary infrastructure is in place in case of a hard Brexit, he added.

In an interview with The Irish Times last week, Mr O'Reilly said the port is spending €10 million on primary inspection posts and €20 million on secondary posts for State agencies including Revenue Commissioners and Department of Agriculture officials carrying out a fivefold increase in checks on goods requiring customs clearance and, in addition, new food and animal health checks on goods and animals arriving from the UK.

READ MORE

If the land bridge through the UK closes down the port will be ready, but goods will move more slowly, he warned.

Mr O’Reilly said he did not think there would be logistical delays on a par with the “catastrophic congestion” in Dover, but there would be changes.

“We will be as ready as possible.”