Report supports port enlargement

A report on Dublin Port's future has supported plans to reclaim 21 hectares of Dublin Bay for port facilities.

Dublin Port 2000, which was presented by the Dublin Chamber of Commerce yesterday, claims Dublin Port is now operating at capacity and that without further expansion, the Republic's industrial development will be jeopardised.

Dublin Port handles about one-third of all trade through the Republic's ports, which amounted to some 20 million gross tonnes in 1999.

This is expected to rise to 26.5 million gross tonnes by the end of the current National Development Plan, in 2006.

According to the Dublin chamber, every 15-minute delay at the port costs the economy £30 million (€38.1 million) annually. The report's key recommendations also include a new purpose-built terminal for cruise liners, ideally on the 21-hectare site and the introduction of flexible round-the-clock working systems in the port.

Regarding access, the report recommends completing the M50 and port tunnel, the advancement of the eastern bypass for Dublin and the introduction of a "fast track" process to secure approval for major infrastructural projects.