Just one of Holyhead Port’s damaged piers is to reopen to ferry traffic from next Thursday.
However, port operator Stena Line said the opening would provide access for both Stena Line and Irish Ferries ships which operate on the route between Holyhead and Dublin, meaning normal capacity is to be available.
Ferry services at the port have been suspended since damage caused by Storm Darragh at the start of December.
On Friday afternoon, Holyhead Port said: “We remain on target to open one ferry berth on January 16th, following our engineers working tirelessly to address the challenges presented by the structural damage sustained.
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“We are pleased to confirm that ferry services will operate on an adjusted timetable, and given the situation, we plan to facilitate a full schedule for both ferry operators from Terminal 5 on a temporary basis. Therefore, there will be no loss of capacity, with eight daily sailings from the port across both operators.
“Over the next few days, subject to favourable weather conditions, we will undertake berthing trials in preparation for ferry services resuming.”
The company said it will “provide an update on a timeline for Terminal 3 as soon as possible”.
Taoiseach Simon Harris, who spoke to the first minister of Wales Eluned Morgan on Friday about the ongoing impact of the closure, said the partial reopening was good news for the freight industry and passengers “on one of our busiest and more important routes”.
Both leaders acknowledged the efforts made over the last month to ensure that people who had intended to use the port could travel over the Christmas period and that essential supply chains continued to operate.
“We discussed the importance in the longer term of continuing to work together to ensure resilience of sea connectivity between Wales and Ireland. I welcomed the establishment by the Welsh government of a taskforce to ensure that the Port of Holyhead meets the future needs of both Ireland and Wales, and the confirmation by the first minister that she would ensure the representation of Irish interests on that taskforce,” Mr Harris said in a statement after the call.
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