Dublin Port Seeks Permit for Next Major Capital Development Project

Dublin Port Company (DPC) is lodging an application for permission with An Bord Pleanála for its MP2 Project, the second major capital development project from the Port’s Masterplan 2040.

The MP2 Project involves an application for a 15-year permission for phased development works within existing port lands in the north eastern part of the port estate.

When complete, the MP2 Project will increase Dublin Port’s capacity to handle growing ship sizes by providing up to three longer, deeper river berths capable of taking Ro-Ro ferries and Lo-Lo container ships measuring up to 240m in length.

Key elements include:

• A new open structure Ro-Ro jetty (Berth 53) for ferries up to 240m in length on an alignment north of the port’s fairway and south and parallel to – but detached from – the boundary of the South Dublin Bay and River Tolka SPA (004024);
• A reorientation of Berth 52 permitted under An Bord Pleanála Ref. PL29N PA0034;
• A lengthening of an existing river berth (50A) to provide the Container Freight Terminal with additional capacity to handle larger container ships. These works will include the infilling of the basin east of the now virtually redundant Oil Berth 4 on the Eastern Oil Jetty;
• The redevelopment and future-proofing of Oil Berth 3 as a future deep-water container berth for the Container Freight Terminal. The future-proofing will facilitate the change of use of the berth from petroleum importation to container handling when the throughput of petroleum products through Dublin Port declines as a result of national policies to decarbonise the economy;
• Consolidation of passenger terminal buildings, demolition of redundant structures and buildings, and removal of connecting roads to increase the area of land for the transit storage of Ro-Ro freight units.

Eamonn O’Reilly, Chief Executive, Dublin Port Company commented, “Masterplan 2040 provides a sustainable path for us to develop the port and the MP2 Project will provide much needed additional capacity to cater for projected growth.”

“As part of our ten-year € 1 billion capital program to 2028, we will complete the ongoing Alexandra Basin Redevelopment (ABR) Project, start works on the MP2 Project itself and advance works on a variety of other projects including the development of Dublin Inland Port,” added Eamonn O’Reilly.

The ABR Project will increase the port’s ability to handle large ships by deepening and lengthening three kilometers of the port’s seven kilometers of berths. It will also deepen the port to provide an entrance channel with a depth of at least 10m.