Win some, lose some. Irish Ferries recently announced that it was severing its connection with Cork - a cruel blow, said the local Chamber of Commerce. The service, for 14 years, had linked Cork and the French ports, and was seen as a vital part of the shipping infrastructure in the area. And then it was gone.
B&I did the same in 1983 on economic grounds but was soon replaced, despite some initial teething problems, by the now very successful Swansea/Cork service.
Sea routes seem to go in and out of fashion. The Republic's first direct roll-on, roll-off link with the Mediterranean and northern Europe will be established in January of next year. According to the Port of Cork Company, it is a significant development and its aim will be to give a faster and more accessible service to Irish exporters.
The British have their tunnel link to Europe. We have no such thing. Out here on the periphery of western Europe - next parish, America, etc. - our traders are at a disadvantage.
We might be more European-minded than the British but they are the ones with the tunnel link. Some years ago the Cork politician, Mr Hugh Coveney, suggested a tunnel from this side of the pond to the other.
He was scoffed at, of course, but since then the gas interconnector has become a reality. This links us to Britain via sub-sea pipelines and from there to the main European system.
If our gas fields off Kinsale should run out, we will be able to import gas through the pipelines; if we find extra gas deposits, we will be able to export the precious fuel using the same system.
The Port of Cork is enthusiastic about the new service. But why should it be any faster than the conventional land routes? Because, says Mr Sean Geary, marketing manager for the port, road haulage and mainland travel in Europe have become more difficult.
Congestion from the ever-increasing amount of traffic clogging the Euro-highways and - as we have seen this week - the politics of transporting goods overland, has made the sea routes more viable. That's what one would expect a port official to say. But Mr Geary is convinced.
The new service will be provided by the Grimaldi Group. It will begin in January with a 10day frequency which will increase to weekly calls later in the year.
Two 35,000-tonne sister ships, the Fides and the Spes, will be pressed into service first. Later they will be joined by the 53,000tonne Grande Europa, which is under construction. In time the fleet will be expanded with vessels capable of up to 20 knots.
The service will link Cork to the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean, as well as ports in Scandinavia, Holland and the UK.
It will become, according to Euro-Med, which is operating the project for the Grimaldi Group, a "ring road by sea."
The service will cater for cars, vans, commercial vehicles and all other forms of cargo.
Dr Emmanuel Grimaldi, operations director of the group, said that the decision to include Ireland in the company's schedule was the result of intensive market research. The Port of Cork was selected because of its highly-favourable geographical location and superb deepwater facilities.
His philosophy is this: "A sea highway will directly link the per ipheral areas of Europe - from Greece, Sicily, southern Italy and Portugal, to Ireland, England, Denmark, Sweden and Belgium. Our destinations will be increased with the introduction of three new ports - Cork in Ireland, Alexandria in Egypt, and Esbjerg in Denmark, and within one year, we plan to serve 18 ports in 14 countries with a weekly frequency."