Main Points
- About 600 of the 1,500 filling stations around the Republic of Ireland have run dry, according to Fuels for Ireland CEO Kevin McPartlan
- Counties Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, Laois, Offaly, Kildare, Galway, Cork, and Dublin‘s motorway networks are impacted by fuel protests, says TII
- Reduced number of protesters at refinery in Whitegate and water cannon arrives in Cork
- Fuel could not be guaranteed in forecourts if depot blockades continue, says CEO of Fuels for Ireland
- Rosslare Europort to experience capacity issues from tomorrow
- Fuel supplies at more Irish forecourts are under threat of running dry as a days-long blockade of major supply depots continues
Best Reads
- Here’s where the fuel protests are on Saturday and which roads are impacted
- How the fuel protests brought the country to a standstill
- ‘Another month and I’m in trouble’: Border businesses struggle with soaring fuel costs
- Cliff Taylor: To understand the tangled economics of the fuel protests, start with green diesel
Gardaí successfully remove protesters at Whitegate
Gardaí have succeeded in removing protestors from the road at Whitegate and are erecting barriers to keep them back, although a number of tractors remain where they have been left, obstructing access, reports Southern Correspondent Barry Roche.
Gardaí issue warning to protesters at Whitegate
Gardaí have issued a warning to protesters to clear the road near the oil refinery in Whitegate, Co Cork, reports Southern Correspondent Barry Roche.
The Garda public order unit on standby in Whitegate village.
PSNI ‘maintaining an ongoing assessment’
Police in Northern Ireland said they were “maintaining an ongoing assessment” in relation to social media posts calling for fuel protests there.
A PSNI spokeswoman said: “A policing response has been prepared, if needed, to ensure public safety and to help minimise any potential disruption to the wider community.” - PA
Only a quarter of normal daily deliveries being completed, says Fuels for Ireland CEO
Kevin McPartlan, chief executive of Fuels for Ireland said in a statement, “if these blockades at fuel terminals in Cork, Limerick and Galway are not lifted by Monday, we will not be in a position to guarantee fuel availability at forecourts nationwide by early next week.
“With only around 25 percent of normal daily deliveries currently being completed, due to ongoing protests at fuel terminals and across the national road network, supplies are becoming increasingly unpredictable.”
He said it will be a matter of prioritising where deliveries can be made. “We cannot guarantee where or when fuel will be available.”
He said if things deteriorate to that point, it could take up to a month to restore normal service across the country.
“Each additional day this disruption continues is not simply prolonging the current problem, it is compounding it. Even if access were restored immediately, normal supply conditions would not return overnight.
“Once disruption on this scale takes hold, there is no instant reset. Stocks have to be rebuilt, delivery schedules restored, and normal distribution patterns re-established across the country.”
He said Ireland is also at risk of losing access to inbound fuel supply if terminals cannot operate normally and cargo cannot be discharged or processed through the system as intended.
“Every additional day of disruption widens the gap to restoring normal fuel access for households, businesses and essential services.
“What began as an access issue is steadily becoming a supply issue, and Ireland cannot afford for that risk to deepen in the middle of a wider oil crisis.
“The longer normal terminal activity is prevented, the greater the risk to national fuel supply, and the more serious the consequences become for motorists, businesses and essential services across the country,” he warned.
“If we get what we want, we’ll have to call it the f**king Burger King deal because we’ve been in there all day,” farming contractor Christopher Duffy told fuel protesters on O’Connell Bridge in Dublin city centre on Thursday night, writes Political Correspondent Jack Horgan-Jones and Conor Gallagher of The Irish Times Investigations Unit.
He was in high spirits. It had just been claimed the Government would meet protesters on Friday after a week of fuel price protests.
“We said if we got a meeting, we’d go home. Well, we’re not. We’ll go home when we see what we get at the meeting,” he said to cheers. “There’s not one f**king oil truck moving in this country until we get what we want,” he said. “We have the country by the balls.”
Over the course of just three days, protesters had brought much of the country to a standstill. In response, the Government had said it was sending in the Army to remove the protesters’ trucks and tractors. But the Army never appeared. Not one protester had been arrested nor a vehicle removed.
For the full article, read here.
Reduced number of protesters at refinery in Whitegate and water cannon arrives in Cork
Protesters are continuing to block access to the refinery in Whitegate, Co Cork but numbers are much reduced as the protest by hauliers, farmers and contractors enters its fifth day, reports Southern Correspondent Barry Roche.
Garda sources have confirmed to the Irish Times that they have received a water cannon in Cork. There was no sign of the equipment in Whitegate where the mood remains calm with protesters chatting amicably with Gardaí.
Around 100 protesters are blocking the entrance to Irving Oil Refinery at the southern end of the village in east Cork. Trucks and tractors have been carefully placed to prevent any oil tanker from gaining entrance to the facility.
Garda numbers are also reduced with up to 50 officers maintaining a presence in Whitegate village outside a series of barriers which they erected on Friday, hemming in protesters where they had begun the blockade.
However, two tankers were allowed in to the refinery on Friday via a slip road following the agreement of protesters that a consignment of kerosene heating oil and white diesel could be collected.
Gardaí mounted a policing operation at several check points where officers were stopping all traffic on the main Midleton to Whitegate Road at Cloyne and Saleen in to the village.
Gardaí also mounted checkpoints on most other access roads in to Whitegate with Gardaí stopping motorists at various crossroads around Cloyne, upper Aghada and Inch in an effort to stop any hauliers, contractors or farmers from joining the protest.
The deployment of extra Gardaí from all over Cork city and county following the announcement by Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly that he was declaring an exceptional policing event until 8pm on Monday.
600 filling stations run dry, says Fuels for Ireland CEO
About 600 of the 1,500 filling stations around the Republic of Ireland have run dry, according to Fuels for Ireland chief executive Kevin McPartlan.
He said he expected the number “will grow quite dramatically” if ongoing blockades of fuel depots remain in place.
Asked on RTE Radio One’s The Business how that number may grow, he said: “If everything remains as it is, that is to say that the three facilities remain blockaded, then I don’t think we could guarantee fuel at any forecourt by very early next week, Monday morning or Monday perhaps.”
TII updates Motorway closures
Ship at Galway Port carrying fuel unable to un-load
Speaking on RTÉ Radio One’s The Business show, Chief Executive of Fuels for Ireland Kevin McPartlan, said a ship called the Thun Gemini, understood to be carrying six million litres of fuel, is currently parked up at Galway Port as it cannot unload.
He said it was due to unload at 8am yesterday.
“It’s impossible. It’s unlawful to unload at the moment because the vessel regulations, the particular European regulations, which govern sites which are high risk due to hazardous substances, means that you are not allowed to unload that vessel unless there are emergency exits and access routes guaranteed.”
He said the emergency exits and access routes have not been guaranteed since Tuesday, and “we’ve been pointing that out to An Garda Síochána in Galway and saying we need those routes to be secured, otherwise we cannot operate the terminal, including we cannot unload that vessel.”
“Now, I think we’re really shooting ourselves in the foot,” he added.
McPartlan said he is aware of another “very large vessel” which is due into one of these facilities in the coming days
“The terminal operator is actively considering whether they pay the demurrage (the fee for being parked up at a port)...or whether they just send that vessel somewhere else.”
He said there are two elements involved: “one is that safety piece, which is the very critical one in Galway at the moment, but also the fact that no stock has moved through these sites in several days means, do they actually have the storage? Can they actually take the fuel that is on those vessels or do they have to just send it somewhere else?”
The Government is hoping to face down fuel protests with the prospect of a multimillion-euro package of supports which will be signed off only once the protests have been stood down – and with tougher enforcement by gardaí, writes Political Correspondent Jack Horgan-Jones, Conor Gallagher of the The Irish Times Investigations Unit and Political Editor Pat Leahy.
The overall size of the package has not yet been nailed down but it is understood it will be in the tens of millions at least.
Protester representatives were denied entry into talks between Government Ministers and representative groups on Friday, despite earlier claims they would attend. It sparked an angry reaction from protesters on the ground who vowed to continue shutting down roads and facilities around the country.
For the full article, read here.
Rosslare Europort to experience capacity issues from tomorrow
Rosslare Europort has said it will soon be “facing challenges” as two ships are coming in tomorrow and early Monday morning and “once they off-load, we will have no further capacity.”
“We will then have to turn ships back to wait on anchor out from the port or advise to go to an alternative port,” it said in a statement.
It said that protesters set up a blockade at Kilrain, which is around a mile (1.6km) from Rosslare Europort on Thursday morning and is still in place.
Only passenger traffic is currently being permitted to pass through.
Yesterday, an accompanied pharmaceutical freight was permitted through, but that has now stopped since yesterday afternoon.
There is currently about a mile (1.6km) of a tail back of trucks, it said.
“Once the blockades are lifted, it will take some time to get the port cleared before we can take any more freight in and the port may need to put restrictions on capacity during this time.”
Motorway closure update
In a post on X, TII updated the list of full road closures in place on motorways.
M50:
- M50 between J06 - Blanchardstown direction northbound
- M50 between J05 - Finglas and J06 - Blanchardstown direction both
- M50 between J11 - Tallaght and J10 - Ballymount direction northbound
- M50 J03 - M1/M50 direction southbound
M1:
- M1 between J04 - Donabate and J03 - Swords direction southbound
M4:
- M4/N4 J01 - N4/M50 direction eastbound Slip M4 to M50 north
M6:
- M6/N6 between J08 - Athlone and J09 - Garrycastle direction both
M7:
- M7 J08 - Johnstown direction eastbound
- M7 between J16 - Portlaoise and J17 - Portlaoise direction both
- M7 between J29 - M7/N24 and J30 - M7/N18/M20 direction both
M8:
- M8 J09 - Cashel (south) direction northbound
M9:
- M9 J09 - Kilkenny (S) direction northboundM9 between J03 - Athy and J02 - Kilcullen direction northbound
- M9 between J02 - Kilcullen and J03 - Athy direction southbound
M18:
- M18/N18 J11 - Dromoland direction both
- M18/N18 J13 - Tulla Direction northbound
- M18/N18 between J02 - Dock and J01 - Rossbrien direction southbound
- M18/N18 J14 - Barefield direction southbound Slip R458 to M18
M20:
- M20/N20 between J04 - Patrickswell and J03 - Raheen direction northbound
National Ambulance Service successfully refueled overnight, confirms Minister for Health
Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, has told doctors attending the Irish Medical Organistion in Killarney that the National Ambulance Service vehicles were successfully refuelled overnight, avoiding a crisis in the service, reports Emmet Malone.
She said, however, that concerns around the ability of those working in community and home care services to get to clients today and asked people around the country to check on elderly or vulnerable neighbours over the weekend to ensure they are not in need of help.
Fuel could not be guaranteed in forecourts if depot blockades continue, says CEO of Fuels for Ireland
Kevin McPartlan, Chief Executive of Fuels for Ireland said fuel could not be guaranteed in forecourts if the depot blockades continue over the weekend as things would be too unpredictable, while speaking on RTÉ Radio One’s The Business show.
“You have to understand the impact has been regionally skewed because the terminal in Galway which serves a lot of the west of Ireland and up to Sligo, Donegal has been out of action since Tuesday morning. Foynes has been out of action since Wednesday so that’s the Midwest into the Midlands,” he said.
He said the refinery in Cork has one third of all the fuel that is brought into Ireland and is impacting fuel supply in the Munster region.
Bus Éireann services at Rosslare Europort suspended
Bus Éireann has said all services at Rosslare Europort are currently suspended until further notice, and will instead begin and end at Wexford Train Station.
Counties Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, Laois, Offaly, Kildare, Galway, Cork, and Dublin‘s motorway networks are impacted by fuel protests, says TII
In a post on X, TII issued a statement on the National Road/Motorway network protest impact.
It said there is “significant distribution across the national road/motorway network currently impacting Counties Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, Laois, Offaly, Kildare, Galway, Cork, and Dublin.”
It is working closely with the Garda Traffic Core
It requested that all road users leave the hard shoulder available for emergency services.
“The protest is mobile at times and can impact different regions at different times,” it said.
For planning purposes it said to go to https://traffic.tii.ie for live information.
TII issues update to motorway closures nationwide
In a post on X, TII has issued an update in the locations of full road closures in place on motorways.
M50:
- M50 between J06 - Blanchardstown direction northbound
- M50 between J05 - Finglas and J06 - Blanchardstown direction Both
M4:
- M4/N4 J01 - N4/M50 direction eastbound Slip M4 to M50 north
M6:
- M6/N6 between J08 - Athlone and J09 - Garrycastle direction both
M7:
- M7 J08 - Johnstown direction eastbound
- M7 between J16 - Portlaoise and J17 - Portlaoise direction both
- M7 between J29 - M7/N24 and J30 - M7/N18/M20 direction both
M8:
- M8 J09 - Cashel (south) direction northbound
M18:
- M18/N18 J11 - Dromoland direction both
- M18/N18 J13 - Tulla direction northbound
- M18/N18 between J02 - DOCK and J01 - Rossbrien direction southbound
- M18/N18 J14 - Barefield direction southbound Slip R458 to M18
M20:
- M20/N20 between J04 - Patrickswell and J03 - Raheen direction northbound
Disruptions to Dublin Bus services
The following routes have new termini due to the ongoing protest in Dublin City Centre:
Route 1 - Santry to / from Parnell Square
Route 4 - Monkstown Avenue to / from Merrion Square
Route 7/a - Brides Glen Luas Stop / Loughlinstown to / from Merrion Square
Route 7 b/d: Shankill / Dalkey to / from Merrion Square
Route 7e: Dalkey to Ballsbridge
Route 11/b - North Circular to Parnell Square only
Route 11/b - Sandyford to Stephen’s Green only
Route 13 - Grangecastle to / from Mountjoy Square
Route 14 – North: Beaumont (Ardlee Road) to Talbot Street (only)
Route 14 - South: Dame Street to Dundrum Luas (only)
Route 15 – North: Clongriffin to Amiens Street (only)
Route 15 – South: Dame Street to Ballycullen (only)
Route 19 - Dublin Airport to / from Parnell Square
Route 27 – South: Jobstown to Cook Street (only)
Route 27 – North: Clare Hall to Amiens Street (only)
Route 27B - Harristown to/from Talbot Street
Route 33 - Balbriggan/Skerries to / from Mountjoy Square
Route 37 - Blanchardstown to / from Blackhall Place
Route 38/a/b - Damastown to / from Parnell Square
Route 39/a - Ongar to / from Blackhall Place
Route 40D - Tyrellstown to / from Parnell Square
Route 41 - Swords Manor to / from Mountjoy Square
Route 41B - Rolestown to / from Mountjoy Square
Route 41C - Swords Manor to / from Mountjoy Square
Route 44 – South: Stephen’s Green to Enniskerry (only)
Route 44d: Dundrum Luas to / from Stephen’s Green
Route 60 - Red Cow Luas to Cook Street / Cook Street to Red Cow Luas
Route 68/A - Newcastle / Greenogue to Cook Street / Cook Street to Newcastle / Greenogue
Route 69 - Rathcoole to Cook Street / Cook Street to Rathcoole
Route 70 - Dunboyne to Blackhall Place / Blackhall Place to Dunboyne
Route 74 - Dundrum Luas to / from Cook Street
Route 120 - Ashtown Rail Station to / from Parnell Square
Route 122 – North: Ashington to / from Parnell Square (only)
Route 122 – South: Drimnagh to / from Georges Street (only)
Route 150 – To / From Limekiln to Cook St
Route 151 - Foxborough to Cook Street / Cook Street to Foxborough
Route C1/C2/C3/C4/C5/C6 and 52 - Operating to / from Heuston Station
Route E1 - Ballywaltrim to Stephen’s Green / Stephen’s Green to Ballywaltrim (only)
Route E2 – North: Harristown to / from Parnell Square (only)
Route E2 – South: Stephen’s Green to Dun Laoghaire
Route E2 – South: Dun Laoghaire to Stephen’s Green
Route G1 - Red Cow to / from Cook Street
Route G2 - Liffey Valley to / from Cook Street
All other routes are operating as normal.
The following diversions are in place:
Route 13 - Services depart from Mountjoy Square, turn onto Gardiner Street, Dorset Street, Church Street, High Street, James Street and back on normal route
Route 13 from Grange Castle will operate as far as James Street, divert via High Street, Church Street, Western Way, Blessington Street and Mountjoy Square.
Route 15A/B/D - From Merrion Square, Diverted onto Merrion Street, Baggot Street, Pembrook Street, Leeson Street, Earlsfort Terrace, Adelaide Road, Richmond Street and back on normal route.
Route 15A/B/D - Towards the city, normal route to Camden Street, divert to Hatch Street, Earlsfort Terrace, St Stephens Green, Baggot Street, Merrion Street and back onto Merrion Square
Route 16/D - Normal route to Dorset Street, then divert straight to King St, left for Church St, straight to Bridge St, left to High St, straight to Lord Edward Street, Dame Street, turning right onto George’s Street and back on normal route.
Route 16 from Ballinteer, normal route to George’s Street, turn left onto Dame Street, Lord Edward St, High St, right onto Bridge St, straight to Church St, right onto King St, straight to Dorset St and back to normal route
Route 23/24 - From Charlestown/Dublin Airport normal route to Fr Mathew Bridge, Bridge Street Lower, Patrick Street, Kevin Street to St Stephen’s Green.
Route 23/24 - Stephen’s Green, to Cuffe Street, Christchurch and back on normal route.
Route 65 – from Poolbeg Street toward Blessington, Tara Street, Westland row, Merrion Square West, St Stephens Green, Earlsfort Terrace , Adelaide Road, Richmond Street back onto normal route.
Route 65 - from Blessington to Poolbeg Street, normal route to Camden Street, Hatch Street, Earlsfort Terrace, Stephens Green, right onto Hume Street, Merrion Square West and Poolbeg Street.
Route 65B - Poolbeg Street to Citywest Outbound Tara Street, Westland Row, Merrion Square West, St Stephens Green, Earlsfort Terrace, Adelaide Rd ,Richmond Street back onto normal route.
Route 65B - Citywest to Poolbeg Street Inbound Normal route to Camden Street, Hatch Street, Earlsfort Terrace, Stephens Green, right onto Hume Street, Merrion Square West and Poolbeg Street.
Route 77A - To Citywest, normal route to Pearse street, Westland Road, St Stephens Green, Cuffe Street, Kevins Street, and back on normal route from Cork Street.
Route 77A - To Ringsend normal route to Cork Street, divert to Kevin Street, Cuffe Street, St Stephens Green, Westland Road, Pearse Street, right on Westland Row and back onto normal route.
Route 80 From Liffey Valley, normal route to Arran Quay, right onto Bridge Street, left onto High St, straight to Lord Edward Street, Dame Street, right onto George’s Street and back on normal route.
Route 80 From Palmerston Park, normal route to Georges Street, left onto Dame Street, Lord Edward Street, High Street, right onto Bridge Street, left onto Ushers Quay and back on normal route.
Route F1/F2/F3 – Northbound: Normal route to Clanbrassil St then divert straight onto Patrick Street, left onto High Street, right onto Bridge Street, straight onto Church Street, right onto King Street, continue straight to Dorset Street and back to normal route.
Route F1/F2/F3 – Southbound: Normal route to Dorset Street, then divert straight to King Street, left for Church Street, straight to Bridge Street, left to High Street, right to Patrick Street, straight to Kevin Street and back on normal route.
Route G1 – From Red Cow: Normal route to Thomas Street then divert to Bridge Street, Cook Street and terminate.
Route G1 – To Red Cow: Depart Cook Street to Winetavern Street to Merchants Quay, Bridge Street, Thomas Street and normal route.
Route G2 – From Liffey Valley: Normal route to Thomas Street then divert to Bridge Street, Cook Street and terminate.
Route G2 – To Liffey Valley: Depart Cook Street to Winetavern Street to Merchants Quay, Bridge Street, Thomas Street and normal route.
Disruptions still in place on Green line Luas
Green line services are currently not operating between St Stephen’s Green and Dominick.
Services are running between Broombridge and Dominick and St. Stephen’s Green and Brides Glen.
A number of disruptions have been made to Bus Éireann services across the country.
For more, click here.
TII announce motorway closures
In a post on X, TII has announced the following full road closures on motorways.
M50:
- M50 between J06 - BLANCHARDSTOWN and J05 - FINGLAS direction northbound
- M50 between J05 - FINGLAS and J06 - BLANCHARDSTOWN direction southbound
N4:
- N4 J01 - M50 Interchange direction eastbound Slip to City and M50 northbound
M7:
- M7 between J16 - PORTLAOISE and J17 - PORTLAOISE direction both
- M7 between J29 - M7/N24 and J30 - M7/N18/M20 direction both
M8:
- M8 J09 - CASHEL(SOUTH) direction northbound
- M8 J06- Arbourhill and J09 Owen and Biggs Lot- direction southbound
M18:
- M18/N18 J11 - DROMOLAND direction both
- M18/N18 J13 - TULLA direction northbound
- M18/N18 between J02 - DOCK and J01 - ROSSBRIEN direction southbound
- M18/N18 J14 - BAREFIELD direction southbound Slip R458 to M18
- M18/N18 between J15 - CRUSHEEN and J14 - BAREFIELD direction southbound
M20:
- M20/N20 between J04 - PATRICKSWELL and J03 - RAHEEN direction northbound
It added that significant delays to your journey are likely to occur and asked drivers to please use a different route for your journey.
Gardaí declare ‘exceptional event’
Ministers said the Irish Defence Forces are “on standby” to help An Garda Síochána, remove blockades at critical infrastructure.
It is understood An Garda Síochána has declared an “exceptional event”, allowing it to designate every member available for duty over the weekend, as a result of the protests in agreement with Garda associations.
Under the declaration, Gardaí can be prevented from taking leave and other exceptional measures can be used to ensure sufficient staffing. - Press Association
Fuel protest enters fifth day
The Government is to re-enter talks on Saturday aimed at defusing protests which have strangled the distribution of fuel around the country.
A series of protests, which have involved blockades at key fuel distribution sites, are continuing for a fifth consecutive day after a crunch meeting on Friday failed to end with concrete proposals.
Protesters say the Government needs to take urgent action on fuel prices or they will go out of business.
There were fears that around a third of Ireland’s 1,500 filling stations would have run dry by morning as protesters engaged in a blockade of the country’s only oil refinery in Whitegate, Co Cork, as well as key depots in Galway and Foynes, Co Limerick.
There have also been concerns about fuel shortages leading to curtailments on the provision of emergency services and the delivery of vital goods – while the National Emergency Coordination Group urged the public to only buy the fuel they need.
Government ministers engaged with some of these groups on Friday but a spokesman for the protesters expressed “devastation” that they were excluded from the meeting.
A commitment from the coalition on Friday night to deliver a “substantial” package of measures on fuel costs was not enough to dissuade protesters from continuing blockades.
Talks between Government departments and representative bodies are set to continue at lunchtime on Saturday, with a view to finalising what Tánaiste Simon Harris said would be “substantial and significant” measures for affected industries. - Press Association
