Due to severe weather damage from Storm Darragh, Holyhead Port is temporarily closed for urgent repairs and is expected to remain closed until at least 15 January 2025. HMRC is collaborating with Holyhead Port, maritime carriers, and Border Force to manage the situation. As your trusted customs experts, we're here to guide you through these challenges and ensure your supply chain remains uninterrupted. Read on for crucial updates and contingency plans to keep your operations running smoothly
We understand the disruption this causes and are working with stakeholders to support contingency plans. - HMRC (Dec, 2024).
Operational Continuity
HMRC’s Customs Declaration Service (CDS) and Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) are currently operating smoothly. Alternative routes have been established with affected carriers, which may necessitate changes to your selected routes on GVMS. Please note that Holyhead should not be used for imports or exports during this period. There will be no penalties for using alternative routes, but it is important to check your carrier’s sailing schedule for more details. Our Compliance Manager explains further:
"In situations where alternative routes are not available, we recommend traveling under the transit procedure from Great Britain through Northern Ireland and onward to the Republic of Ireland. While this method ensures the continuous movement of goods, it does place additional demands on drivers, as they must visit Dublin Port to discharge the transit procedure before completing deliveries. Our team is dedicated to assisting you every step of the way, ensuring these logistical challenges are managed as smoothly as possible."
Imports from Ireland to Great Britain
Continue to submit import declarations as usual. Contingency arrangements will automatically update your declaration to reflect the new port of arrival. Hauliers should select the following routes on GVMS:
- For journeys from Dublin to Fishguard, select the ‘Rosslare – Fishguard’ route on GVMS.
- For journeys from Dublin to Birkenhead/Liverpool, select the ‘Dublin – Liverpool’ route on GVMS.
- For journeys from Dublin to Heysham, select the ‘Dublin – Heysham’ route on GVMS.
Exports from Great Britain to Ireland
Ensure the Arrived Export location on your declaration matches the actual departure location and the route selected in GVMS. If there is a mismatch, the Goods Movement Reference (GMR) will not be allowed to check-in. If the departure location changes after submitting an export declaration, cancel the CDS Arrived Export declaration and submit a new one with the revised location code in Data Element 5/23. Hauliers should select the appropriate routes on GVMS.
Supporting Our Clients
The closure of Holyhead Port, which handles 60% of the freight into Ireland, has caused significant disruption for the logistics industry, especially with Christmas just around the corner. Finding extra capacity through alternative routes has been a major challenge for many of our clients. To support them, we’ve been advising those delivering goods to the Republic of Ireland (ROI) to explore alternative UK exit points such as Liverpool, Pembroke, or Fishguard. Our Compliance Manager in Ireland, Jocelyn Burke, sheds light on the situation:
"With everyone in the same boat (pun intended), hauliers are facing long waiting lists for sailings. Compounding the issue, freight trailers are stuck in Holyhead without trucks to pull them out, and sourcing trucks and drivers to resolve this has been a big hurdle. Similarly, Irish exporters to the UK are experiencing increased reliance on the transit procedure, adding further complexity to the situation."
As customs experts, we are here to support our clients through these disruptions. We are actively helping clients redirect their supply chains and navigate these changes. Additionally, with upcoming S&S changes, having a customs agent with end-to-end capabilities is crucial to protect your supply chain. To ease the burden, we’ve brought in additional staff during the evenings to manage last-minute requests and provide real-time support to our customers. This has been crucial during such a stressful period, as we remain committed to steering our clients through even the choppiest waters and ensuring their operations continue to flow as seamlessly as possible.
We are following the news closely via our own clients, HMRC connections, BBC and through our membership of the BRC who have provided much of this articles reference source.
We will continue to provide further updates in January when more information about Holyhead Port’s reopening is available.
