Page 41 - Linkline Autumn 2015

PorT of CaLL: an InTervIeW WITh The Ceo of The PorT of Cork
Brendan Keating, Chief Executive, Port of Cork Company since December 2002. Prior to that he was City Manager in Limerick for 4 years and before that he was Assistant City Manager in Cork City. In the position of Chief Executive his primary focus has been on the development and growth of business along with planning port infrastructure. His commitment to the delivery of higher levels of ef ciency and quality of port services has been central to the continued success of the company.
In this edition of Linkline Brendan Keating gives an interview to the CILT Linkline Journal.
Q. Please give us a perspective of the strategic
importance of the Port of Cork in the context of
logistics and transport?
Port of Cork currently handles 22% of the total Irish market for all cargo. Signi cantly, 40% of all Liquid Bulk Cargo (Oil) passes through the Port and 24% of all containerised cargo*. Along with Dublin and Shannon Foynes, Port of Cork was designated as a Tier 1 Port
of National Signi cance in 2013 in the Government’s National Ports Policy. The Port of Cork was also recognised as a Core Network port under the EU Trans- European Network ∑ Transport (TEN-T) - in recognition of its strategic importance to the island of Ireland where practically all trade is exported by sea (92% of total goods transit by sea).
The Port of Cork currently supports seven shipping sectors; Lo-Lo, Ro-Ro, Dry Bulk, Break Bulk, Liquid Bulk and Cruise in our facilities in the City Quays, Tivoli, Ringaskiddy and Tivoli.
Q. What is the overall economic bene t of the Port of Cork?
The Port of Cork had a turnover of almost 25m
in 2014. The Port of Cork established a subsidiary company in 2014 and now owns Bantry Port. This allows it to achieve greater volumes and ef ciencies. Vessels using the Port of Cork include feeder containers from Rotterdam; Amsterdam; Felixstowe; Southampton and
Le Harve, a Caribbean-Cork service by Fyffes/operated by Maersk as well as bulker carriers from North Africa; North and South America and the Far East as well as cruise vessels relocating from the Caribbean and Miami.
The Port of Cork has an ever increasing role in the distribution of goods and commodities consistent with
the growth of the maritime transport sector. Trade cars through the Port of Cork were up 25% in 2014 while the agricultural sector imports of cereal and animal feed was down on previous years to the exceptional summer. The Port of Cork is committed to seeking out new business opportunities for the port and the Agri sector presents signi cant opportunities for exports with the lifting of the Common Agriculture Policy production limits this year
Above: Brendan Keating (CEO of the Port of Cork)
and a projected national dairy output growth of 50% largely concentrated in Muster and South Leinster.
Indecon estimates that the operation of the port directly supports 866 full-time equivalent jobs and 1,267 FTEs on an economy-wide basis when multiplier effects are taken into account.*
Q. Why does the Port wish to relocate to the lower harbour area of Ringaskiddy?
The Port of Cork has always been a river port, it has supported the development of Cork City and County since both City and Port were rst
26 The CharTered InsTITuTe of LogIsTICs & TransporT
LINKLINE INTERVIEW