Holyhead, the UK’s second busiest passenger ferry port (after Dover), was closed to all ferry traffic following a berthing incident involving an arriving Ro-Pax vessel.
The interruption marked the second closure of the port within a year.
Stena Line, the port operator, reported that the incident occurred on Wednesday morning as the ferry Stena Estrid arrived from Dublin.
Irish Ferries indicated that it anticipated the matter would be resolved later the same day, with services expected to resume from 17:30 GMT.
Wales’ transport secretary, Ken Skates, confirmed that he had met representatives of Stena Line and sought assurances regarding the condition of the port infrastructure and the continuity of services.
Holyhead operates two ferry facilities, Terminal 3 and Terminal 5. Terminal 5 has remained closed since December after a separate berthing incident, with adverse weather delaying underwater inspections. Repair works were scheduled to commence this month.
In the interim period, Stena Line and Irish Ferries had been sharing Terminal 3, adjusting timetables to allow both operators to function from a single berth. The loss of Terminal 3 following the latest allision accident left the port without any operational berths, preventing ships from docking.
Stena Estrid departed Dublin at 04:30 on Wednesday and was due to berth at Holyhead at 08:00. Stena Line stated that passengers and wheeled freight were discharged in the usual manner. STENA confirmed that a berthing incident had taken place during the vessel’s arrival and that an investigation was underway.
Irish Ferries advised that customers affected by delays were being contacted and that apologies had been issued for the disruption.
Eugene Drennan of the Irish Road Haulage Association stated that the vessel had struck one of the concrete berthing structures, causing damage, and that work was ongoing to reposition the ship and allow services to resume. He noted that the closure had significant consequences given Holyhead’s volume of traffic, and highlighted concerns among operators about the flow of information during the disruption.
The closure followed a similar incident in 2024, when the port was shut ahead of Storm Darragh in December 2024. That closure lasted until mid-January, when Terminal 5 was reopened, and full operations were only restored in July after extensive repairs to Terminal 3. Those events prompted calls for measures to strengthen the resilience of the port.
Holyhead lies just over 100 miles from Dublin, with a crossing time of ~3 hours and 15 minutes, making it the fastest sea route between the UK mainland and the Republic of Ireland. More than 400,000 lorries and a similar number of cars pass through the port each year. Holyhead is Wales’ largest international transport hub, handling nearly twice the annual passenger numbers of Cardiff Airport.
The Road Haulage Association advised operators and travellers to monitor developments closely and adjust plans as required. Plaid Cymru leader and Ynys Môn MS Rhun ap Iorwerth described the repeated closure as a cause for concern, noting the likely impact on passengers, hauliers and local businesses. He said he would seek urgent clarification from both Stena Line and the Welsh Government on steps being taken to reopen the port and on assurances regarding its long-term robustness.