£20m investment to secure Fishguard port's future
BBCA ferry company says it plans to invest up to £20m to upgrade Fishguard port.
Stena Line's investment will pay for a new linkspan, a type of drawbridge which allows vessels to move on and off a ferry.
It is hoped building work will begin in 2026, and that the new bridge will be ready in 2027.
A spokesperson for the company said the announcement signalled a firm commitment to the port for the "next 30 to 40 years".
A previous project to build a new linkspan was cancelled in 2018 which caused concern locally about the future of the port.
The company had already invited tenders for the construction project when it made the announcement.
At the time it was said the current single lane linkspan, installed in the early 1970s, was approaching the end of its life.
Stena line operates a twice daily roll-on roll-off ferry service between Fishguard and Rosslare in the Republic of Ireland.
Fishguard port saw an increase in sailings after Holyhead was closed after berthing terminals were damaged there during Storm Darragh in December 2024.
The Pembrokeshire port was used to provide relief freight sailings to Dublin and to help clear a backlog of traffic caused by the closure of the berths at Holyhead.
The largest ever ferry to visit Fishguard, the Stena Adventurer, docked at the port during the disruption caused by Storm Darragh.
Ian Davies from Stena Line admitted the investment was "overdue" but the new linkspan will provide far more flexibility.
He said: "It'll offer many things. Because the structure is a lot bigger, in essence it means that in future we can fit any size of ferry on to this berth which we don't have that flexibility at the moment.
"As was shown during Storm Darragh, and the issues up at Holyhead, we were able to bring some other ships in to Fishguard but it was quite a struggle to do that. This really adds to the resilience that Stena Line ports have. We can bring vessels in, change vessels around, if and when the circumstances arise.
"It brings us right up to date. It's a commitment really for the next 30-40 years that we have the infrastructure now to take this port to wherever the business takes us."
Haulier Peter Harding, who has been operating from his base in Pembrokeshire for more than 34 years and uses Fishguard regularly, said the news was "very welcome".
"It will make the loading and unloading a lot more efficient and quicker," he said.
"And not only that, it won't limit it to certain ships that can dock. Now, other ships can dock as well. Going back six months ago when Holyhead was closed, the staff and Fishguard as a whole really upped their game to the amount of freight that was coming through there - it was unbelievable.
"I just think that this is a fantastic thing to be happening for north Pembrokeshire. South Pembrokeshire seems to get the spotlight on lots of things and it's good for the local community. It's good for jobs. It's a win-win situation."
Building work is likely to begin in 2026, and the port will have to close for six to eight weeks during that time.
The new linkspan should be completed in 2027.
About 100 people from Pembrokeshire work on the shoreside operations and on the route between Fishguard and Rosslare.