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An upgraded Port of Galway could potentially be used as a navy base, says a West of Ireland MEP.

Midlands-North-West MEP Colm Markey, who sits on the European Parliament's Transport Committee, spoke in light of last month's report from the Defence Forces Commission.

The MEP, who has done extensive work towards obtaining Trans-European Transport Network status (TEN-T) for Galway Port, said the proposal made 'perfect sense'.

"Alongside enormous potentials in offshore wind, hydrogen production, and tourism expansion, Galway port acting as a naval base is another layer of potential for an upgraded port," he said.

"The Commission on the Defence Forces report recognised the need for heightened naval activity.

"There could be a need for a naval port along the west coast, and given the proximity to Renmore Barracks, Galway port makes perfect sense," he added.

But he acknowledged that this would only make sense 'following significant investment in the port, and parallel to the delivery of other key service capacity for the port'.

Connacht Tribune reports more here to include that the CEO of Galway Harbour Company led a recent delegation to Brussels.

Published in Galway Harbour
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About Brittany Ferries

In 1967 a farmer from Finistère in Brittany, Alexis Gourvennec, succeeded in bringing together a variety of organisations from the region to embark on an ambitious project: the aim was to open up the region, to improve its infrastructure and to enrich its people by turning to traditional partners such as Ireland and the UK. In 1972 BAI (Brittany-England-Ireland) was born.

The first cross-Channel link was inaugurated in January 1973, when a converted Israeli tank-carrier called Kerisnel left the port of Roscoff for Plymouth carrying trucks loaded with Breton vegetables such as cauliflowers and artichokes. The story, therefore, begins on 2 January 1973, 24 hours after Great Britain's entry into the Common Market (EEC).

From these humble beginnings however, Brittany Ferries as the company was re-named quickly opened up to passenger transport, then became a tour operator.

Today, Brittany Ferries has established itself as the national leader in French maritime transport: an atypical leader, under private ownership, still owned by a Breton agricultural cooperative.

Eighty five percent of the company’s passengers are British.

Key Brittany Ferries figures:

  • Turnover: €202.4 million (compared with €469m in 2019)
  • Investment in three new ships, Galicia plus two new vessels powered by cleaner LNG (liquefied natural gas) arriving in 2022 and 2023
  • Employment: 2,474 seafarers and shore staff (average high/low season)
  • Passengers: 752,102 in 2020 (compared with 2,498,354 in 2019)
  • Freight: 160,377 in 2020 (compared with 201,554 in 2019)
  • Twelve ships operating services that connect France, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain (non-Covid year) across 14 routes
  • Twelve ports in total: Bilbao, Santander, Portsmouth, Poole, Plymouth, Cork, Rosslare, Caen, Cherbourg, Le Havre, Saint-Malo, Roscoff
  • Tourism in Europe: 231,000 unique visitors, staying 2.6 million bed-nights in France in 2020 (compared with 857,000 unique visitors, staying 8,7 million bed-nights in 2019).