Rosslare Europort is in the midst of an Amazonian influx!
LOOKING out over Rosslare Europort from the viewing point in the harbour in recent weeks, a sea of blue trailers will catch the eye instantly. They belong to the global market place of Amazon and they contain all manner of items ordered on laptops and phones right across the country.
The fact is that just a few short weeks ago, these trailers weren’t a common sight at the port. But as another consequence of Brexit, the gigantic tech firm, like many other multi-nationals, is seeking to avoid the complications, tariffs, taxes and general headaches that have now become associated with the ‘landbridge’ between the UK and Ireland.
‘I think previously you would’ve ordered from Amazon through the UK website and your order would have been fulfilled through the UK distribution network,’ General Manager of Rosslare Europort Glenn Carr said, explaining the surge these blue trailers in the harbour. ‘Now you have all these taxes and tariffs etc from the UK, it seems they’ve made the decision to service Irish orders out of Europe and they are using the DFDS service from Dunkirk to bring the goods into the country.’
The result is that over 20 Amazon trailers roll off each sailing from Dunkirk. It seems that Amazon are in the process of re-evaluating Ireland. There are talks that a new amazon.ie website specifically for Ireland is to be developed amid the creation of a huge new ‘fulfilment centre’ in Baldonnell as the company seeks to bypass the UK to fulfil Irish orders.
Rumours have even been suggested that Amazon may charter their own ships to bring goods in from the continent.
‘I’ve heard of the possibilities that Amazon are going to get their own planes and ships and all sorts,’ Mr Carr laughed. ‘I’m not sure it’s quite that simple. There’s a lot of money and expertise involved in these operations and one way or another the stuff still has to come into Ireland. I think at the moment, they seem extremely pleased with the service being offered by DFDS and the two ports.’
Mr Carr points out that currently UK traffic from Rosslare is down 49% on last year. He says that this is down to customs and paperwork issues, which could be set to grow further at the UK side as they implement their full customs procedure between April and July.
‘To be honest, I’m not surprised to see global companies like Amazon make the switch from the UK,’ he said.