Supply Chain - Looking out from Dublin Port

SUMMER 2022

supply chain How to get the best out of operating through Dublin Port

Irish Exporters Association meeting at Dublin Port

Supply Chain issues have always been a key topic for discussion at Irish Exporters Association (IEA) events. The COVID-19 pandemic has not alone impacted severely on the matter, but has meant that many of these discussions have taken place on-line using virtual platforms such as Teams or Zoom. For several years, the Association has organised its membership on a regional basis and arranged meetings at venues local to the members.

Over the last three years each Regional Group meeting has taken place on-line, on average once every six weeks, giving the ability to go into more depth on specific topics over a period with a view to coming up with solutions mainly based on the experience of other participants.

In the early 2022 meetings one particular supply chain frustration that bubbled up was the delays and problems of shipping through Dublin Port, and specifically through the Lo-Lo container terminals. The Association team took this on board and opened discussions with the Port Company and the Terminal Operators there.

It immediately became apparent that the sense of frustration was mutual and that though the ‘port people’ had done much to ease the problems for traders and their hauliers, these developments had not been well communicated or, indeed, discussed directly. Detailed discussions followed, including a number taken ‘off-line’, and these culminated with a visit to the Port on 1 June. That visit took the discussions further and included a tour of the container handling operations both within the port and at an outside empty container depot.

Some of the issues raised and which readers might find interesting to raise with their nominated Freight Forwarders and hauliers included: -

Could the trader make better use of the terminal opening hours outside the Monday morning and Friday evening peaks? Each of the terminals operates weekend hours and regularly extended hours though current usage here is very low.

Could the trader move towards operating warehouse/distribution centre gate hours more closely to a 24/7 basis? This would facilitate better planned haulage operations.

Several empty container depots have recently opened close to the M50 and the Dublin Port Tunnel. Do the opening hours there need to be longer to facilitate developments 1 and 2 above?

Implementation of full Vehicle Booking Systems (VBO’s). This system is already in operation at Dublin Ferryport Terminals (DFT) and will be used at the other container terminals within the next few weeks. This ensures that the haulier does not have to queue to access the terminal, and in many cases the container that he/she is to collect is prepared for them. It will also enable the haulier/trader to identify late opening times if they are available.

The opening by Dublin Port Company of the first phase of Dublin Inland Port in February 2022 which will focus on the storage and repair of empty containers, releases considerable areas within DFT and elsewhere for further expansion of activities. A second phase will make a further area available for these activities, while the Port Company will seek planning permission to permit the opening of an inland port facility which would enable customs clearance and other controls to be carried out there.

The Port Company has been putting pressure on the Terminal operators to reduce the ‘free storage’ time for containers located on the terminals to four days. This period is unlikely to be extended in the light of the developments mentioned above and the requirements for all parties to optimise space usage in the port area.

Currently there is an almost daily container rail service operating out the Port to Ballina. There is no reason why further similar services cannot be introduced for significant cargo flows.

As Dublin Port will hit significant capacity limitations within the next 15 years, traders are being encouraged to examine their options of using other ports more convenient to their Distribution Centres.

This dialogue between the IEA and the Dublin Port Community has already proven to be very useful and has the potential to be developed further to everyone’s benefit.