Ireland, the new Rotterdam?

corkoian · 08-11-2012 9:58pm #1

Does anyone see the potential for Ireland to become the new hub for US imports. As in all traffic going to and from the Us in terms of cargo could be unload in the likes of Cork Port and return again and avoiding having to travel in further to central Europe. All cargo could be transport through (the once proposed) Tusker Tunnel on a high speed train link to mainland Europe via the UK. US companies that use the Irish port facilities might then see the potential to setup a facility here in Ireland.

NOTE: Before I get hundred of the same posts,

(1) Yes, this is a pipe dream
(2) Yes, I know that the channel tunnel had a lot of financial difficulty making it feasible so a tunnel for Ireland - England wouldn't be feasible either
(3) I dont need to here about all the tunnelling jobs that have been completed in Ireland with some sort of a mess up e.g. Dublin Port Tunnel
(4) Yes our ports would need massive investment.

For anyone who hadn't heard about the proposed Tusker Tunnel here's Wiki, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Sea_fixed_crossing

Pherekydes · 08-11-2012 10:01pm

Why would anyone want to invest in Cork?:pac:

WoollyRedHat · 08-11-2012 10:03pm

It would be great to have a tunnel built from Ireland to Britain. We could have all the moaners who say they hate living here and can't wait to get out , build it and then take leave of it thereafter, so we kill two birds with one stone.

reginald · 08-11-2012 10:04pm

Tunnel dream rather than pipe i'd say

corkoian · 08-11-2012 10:05pm

Pherekydes wrote: »

Why would anyone want to invest in Cork?:pac:

Cause Corks the real capital

Where To · 08-11-2012 10:07pm

The Rhine > The Lee.

In case you haven't noticed.:pac:

Tom_Cruise · 08-11-2012 10:08pm

Valid point, i wonder how much each country would contribute to the funding for this?

Maybe we could ask the UK to build it for us and we'll pay them back?

KungPao · 08-11-2012 10:08pm

corkoian wrote: »

Cause Corks the real capital

Just checked Wikipedia...says Dublin is.

Although anyone could've messed with the page.

doyle61 · 08-11-2012 10:09pm

Op I actually said the same thing about using cork harbour as a hub for the bigger ships back as far as 2007 but as was said to me, even though it's a good idea it'll never happen. Another one I said years ago is to open the train line connecting Connolly and Houston that goes under phoenix park. No vision with the powers that be at all

dd972 · 08-11-2012 10:11pm

wonder if the dissidents would want to blow it up.

keith16 · 08-11-2012 10:13pm

What are you asking us to discuss OP? You seem to be asking if there is potential for Ireland's ports before going on to give four good reasons that piss all over that potential?

Pat Mustard · 08-11-2012 10:32pm

It's a very interesting concept. I like it. The Welsh are probably going to love it too.

But where's the money going to come from to build the tunnel and the rail line? The Brits are not going to pay for half.

I doubt that the European Commission is going to be very enthused about it right now.

af_thefragile · 08-11-2012 10:40pm

The Mustard wrote: »

It's a very interesting concept. I like it. The Welsh are probably going to love it too.

But where's the money going to come from to build the tunnel and the rail line? The Brits are not going to pay for half.

I doubt that the European Commission is going to be very enthused about it right now.

We could all chip in a tenner...

galwayrush · 08-11-2012 10:41pm

We blew more than the cost of it on the bank bailouts.

Pottler · 08-11-2012 10:50pm

Or, as another mad idea, we could cut back on red tape drastically and start actually manufacturing stuff other people want to buy and sell it to them? And not just short term pharma stuff in plants owned by foreign companies that then repatriate the profits to their own countries.:)

caste_in_exile · 08-11-2012 10:58pm

This could be Rotterdam, or anywhere but more likely liverpool than rome.

Rigol · 08-11-2012 11:00pm

Easier to just sail the extra few dozen miles to Cornwall or Wales surely.
The Brits wouldn't want us taking their place anyway.

Plus I don't like that version linking the North with Scotland....I prefer my unionists isolated.

Joe prim · 08-11-2012 11:03pm

Damn, checked in here thinking this was a thread about legalising weed,over and out .

Crann na Beatha · 08-11-2012 11:06pm

This post has been deleted.

MichaelGUFC · 08-11-2012 11:12pm

Nope,our linguistic skills are piss poor,very few people are Bi-Lingual and even if they are its usually some useless Irish

doyle61 · 08-11-2012 11:12pm

Rigol wrote: »

Easier to just sail the extra few dozen miles to Cornwall or Wales surely.
The Brits wouldn't want us taking their place anyway.

Plus I don't like that version linking the North with Scotland....I prefer my unionists isolated.

Cork harbour is the deepest natural port in Europe so it can take the big ships that other ports can't. Rotterdam is currently running very close to capacity so there's a definite market there but sure our government (past and present) couldn't organise a ride in a whore house so there's fat chance of them pulling something like this off

Pottler · 08-11-2012 11:15pm

Phoenix wrote: »

Cause Rotterdam is anywhere?

Anywhere alone?

MagicMarker · 08-11-2012 11:17pm

caste_in_exile wrote: »

This could be Rotterdam, or anywhere but more likely liverpool than rome.

Phoenix wrote: »

Cause Rotterdam is anywhere?

Pottler wrote: »

Anywhere alone?

Awful awful song/band.

SafeSurfer · 08-11-2012 11:27pm

The Russians and Chinese are proposing a high speed rail link all the way to Europe.

Most container traffic comes from the east, so developing a port with rail link for American container traffic in Ireland wouldn't make sense.

Most of the products we purchase from the states in the future will be downloaded so maybe we should concentrate on a super fast broadband connection.

peasant · 08-11-2012 11:28pm

doyle61 wrote: »

Rotterdam is currently running very close to capacity so there's a definite market there ...

The Rotterdam spillover harbour has already been built ...in Germany

http://www.eurogate.de/live/eg_site_en/show.php3?id=218

frozenfrozen · 08-11-2012 11:30pm

Johnson and johnson already do this with their contact lenses, they import the stuff, do whatever and then use their access to the 500 million people in europe, with tax free export and import of goods within the eu.. and Ireland is closer to Japan than the US, who are the largest market for contact lenses....

sorry.. this is the only thing I actually know because I read it and it must be true

Pottler · 08-11-2012 11:38pm

frozenfrozen wrote: »

Johnson and johnson already do this with their contact lenses, they import the stuff, do whatever and then use their access to the 500 million people in europe, with tax free export and import of goods within the eu.. and Ireland is closer to Japan than the US, who are the largest market for contact lenses....

sorry.. this is the only thing I actually know because I read it and it must be true

err, that's the business model of almost every multi-national in ireland. Generally speaking, we re-process and re-package stuff to tweedle the European tax laws to the benefit of Multi-nationals. And call it "manufacturing".

doyle61 · 08-11-2012 11:48pm

peasant wrote: »

The Rotterdam spillover harbour has already been built ...in Germany

http://www.eurogate.de/live/eg_site_en/show.php3?id=218

Didn't know that but the point still stands that if successive governments of this country had even a glimmer of forward vision that port could have been in Ireland

af_thefragile · 08-11-2012 11:49pm

peasant wrote: »

The Rotterdam spillover harbour has already been built ...in Germany

http://www.eurogate.de/live/eg_site_en/show.php3?id=218

Damn those Germans, taking away our economy!

Cookie_Monster · 08-11-2012 11:56pm

Rotterdam is central, Cork is not. No one in their right mind would ship anything to Cork (or anywhere in Irl) instead of Rotterdam.

Pherekydes · 09-11-2012 12:02am

doyle61 wrote: »

Another one I said years ago is to open the train line connecting Connolly and Houston that goes under phoenix park.

Jasus, we're getting wildly ambitious now. Couldn't we just link up Connolly with Heuston before we start looking at Texas?

Rigol · 09-11-2012 12:08am

Yip...they say too much a that 'sim city' stuff cin change a man.

doyle61 · 09-11-2012 12:18am

Pherekydes wrote: »

Jasus, we're getting wildly ambitious now. Couldn't we just link up Connolly with Heuston before we start looking at Texas?

There's already a train line that goes under part of the phoenix park that connects both lines but is used for freight only

doyle61 · 09-11-2012 12:20am

My bad just seen typo now lol

donegal_road · 09-11-2012 12:38am

Shipping routes such as the Arctic Sea Bridge might mean that this idea will never happen

donegal_road · 09-11-2012 12:41am

There's already a train line that goes under part of the phoenix park that connects both lines but is used for freight only

yep, it was built by Guinness and connected the James Gate Brewery with Castleknock.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvgt_02WQv4

kneemos · 09-11-2012 1:00am

Shipping is by far and away the cheapest form of transport so it would make sense to ship as close as possible to your markets rather than transfer to rail and road.

Honest opinion · 09-11-2012 1:40am

galwayrush wrote: »

We blew more than the cost of it on the bank bailouts.

Here we go :rolleyes:

I wonder if there's been a thread on Boards's since 2007 that hasn't contained some sort of obscure irrelevant mention to the Bailout or moaning about Fianna Fail.

nacimroc · 09-11-2012 1:49am

Honest opinion wrote: »

I wonder if there's been a thread on Boards's since 2007 that.....

Honest opinion
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2010

banned much?

Capt'n Midnight · 09-11-2012 2:41am

you are only saving the difference between rail / sea transport between here and Rotterdam. And ships don't have to stop for passenger trains or rail strikes.

you need a tunnel more than twice as long as the chunnel and in deeper water so costs would be astronomical
work out the added cost per container and it's a non runner.

capacity - you are limited by the chunnel , and the whole UK infrastructure so kinda a non starter there too

09-11-2012 3:11am

caste_in_exile wrote: »

This could be Rotterdam, or anywhere but more likely liverpool than rome.

DAMN YOU!

fasttalkerchat · 09-11-2012 3:15am

Serious answer... Why not do the same in Portsmouth?

whatsthetime · 09-11-2012 3:17am

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

Serious answer... Why not do the same in Portsmouth?

The English would never let us

Cookie_Monster · 09-11-2012 3:39am

Honest opinion wrote: »

Here we go :rolleyes:

I wonder if there's been a thread on Boards's since 2007 that hasn't contained some sort of obscure irrelevant mention to the Bailout or moaning about Fianna Fail.

it replaced Godwin's law sometime around mid 09

galwayrush · 09-11-2012 8:51am

Honest opinion wrote: »

Here we go :rolleyes:

I wonder if there's been a thread on Boards's since 2007 that hasn't contained some sort of obscure irrelevant mention to the Bailout or moaning about Fianna Fail.

Mildly obscure defence of FF there. You wew obviously waiting for a chance to post something like that, you were the only one who mentioned FF.:rolleyes:

who the fug · 09-11-2012 9:14am

doyle61 wrote: »

Cork harbour is the deepest natural port in Europe so it can take the big ships that other ports can't. Rotterdam is currently running very close to capacity so there's a definite market there but sure our government (past and present) couldn't organise a ride in a whore house so there's fat chance of them pulling something like this off

Similar scenario with Whiddy Island back in the sixties, but before Whiddy opened they had dredged Rotterdam so the whole concept of Whiddy was obsolete.

Location Location Location

Rotterdam has this in bags at the mouth of the Rhine , you shoot up into that port and your boxes can be in the major markets of Germany, Holland France Belgium within 24 hours.

Where is the logic of transhipping in Cork to go to Rotterdam, and the main bottleneck is the Suez canal not the port of Rotterdam, no point building a container ship that can't go through the canal

jossnjuice · 09-11-2012 9:27am

I work in the shipping industry myself.

No chance of this happening because AFAIK, neither cork nor dublin can handle ocean vessels due to not having deep enough waters........

There was a plan to redevelop Dundalk as a deep sea port there a couple of years back, but im sure thats in the buffers due to spending cuts.

Ireland, the new Rotterdam?

Comments