Ken Skates MS, Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales
I have received an update from Stenaline that the Port of Holyhead will be closed today, 09 December, sometime between the hours of 06:00 – 15:00 (this window may change subject to weather forecasts) due to expected strong winds from Storm Bram.
I understand that the closure is not related to the incident that took place at Holyhead Port on Friday, during which one of the berths at the port was hit by a vessel. Stena are undertaking an engineering assessment of the impacted berth and will issue an official press release on this matter shortly. We expect it will be around the end of the week before we get full clarity on the condition of the berth, however so far, the berth closure has had no impact on port operations.
The Irish Sea taskforce, that was set up following the closure of the Port in December last year, has been notified of both Friday’s incident and the weather forecasts predicted for the next few days.
Given the potential for the high winds across all of our Irish Sea ports, we expect all ferry companies to contact their customers in advance, and we encourage all passengers to check with their ferry operator before setting off.
I realise that this will cause disruption for people who are planning to travel to and from Ireland, but the impacts are expected to be short-lived and for all services to resume as normal once the storm has passed.
My officials will continue to keep in regular contact with Holyhead port, Stena and Irish Ferries, the Isle of Anglesey County Council and the Irish Government during the period of bad weather and I have re-iterated the importance of sharing timely and accurate information with all stakeholders.
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