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Shannon Foynes Port and Cleveland Port authorities sign agreement to unlock transatlantic trade potential

 

Strategic MOU aims to strengthen trade between Great Lakes region and to Europe

 

Move welcomed by Minster for Transport Darragh O’Brien, T.D.

 

Sunday, 22 June 2025:  Shannon Foynes Port Company (SFPC), Ireland’s second largest port operator, and the premier port of the Great Lakes, Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority (CCCPA), have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to strengthen trade ties and opportunities between the two.

 

Built on the strong historical ties between the West of Ireland and Great Lakes region, the commitment will see the port authorities jointly explore activities that will give rise to shared business growth for each and their respective regions.

 

The move has been welcomed by Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien, T.D. “This is a strategic and mutually beneficial transatlantic opportunity between Shannon Foynes Port Company and the Port of Cleveland, particularly in the context of green energy, supply chain diversification and maritime trade connectivity,” he said. 

 

“A key target of this MOU will be to shorten timelines on transit solutions for industry trading between the US and Ireland and also the substantial carbon savings on shipping services over existing traditional transport routes. The US is Ireland’s largest trading partner and this commitment between the port authorities is a positive declaration of intent on both sides, which will be good for investment, jobs and consumers in both regions.”

 

Located on the Shannon Estuary, one of Europe’s deepest natural harbours and adjacent to the world’s busiest shipping lanes, SFPC is strategically positioned as a key cost effective and efficient European gateway for transatlantic trade. Similarly, the Port of Cleveland is strategically located to provide direct access to the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes, a $6 trillion regional economy that would rank as the third largest in the world if it were a standalone country. 

 

Both ports offer cost-effective, multimodal access to major commercial and industrial markets, providing a unique value proposition to companies seeking faster, greener and more reliable alternatives to traditional coastal shipping routes. 

 

The move is very much also in keeping with supporting US-Irish trade relations as it seeks to promote international trade between the two, thereby enhancing the utilisation of both waterways.

 

SFPC CEO Patrick Keating said, “This MOU reflects the ambition of Shannon Foynes Port. While we provide critical access for trade to and from Ireland, we are also a key gateway into and out of Europe for transatlantic trade. That is what essentially underpins this agreement with the CCCPA as we will together seek to advance the enormous, each-way trade opportunity from this global trade crossroad. We look forward to working with CCCPA, which has similar ambition and values to us, to explore the full breadth of these opportunities for the greater good of our respective organisations and communities we serve.”

 

CCCPA Interim President & CEO David Gutheil said, “This agreement builds on the deep and historic ties between the Great Lakes region and Ireland. Ireland and the US are excellent trade partners as our economies are closely intertwined, we share a common language, and we already have very significant trade volumes. What makes this partnership especially powerful is the unique positioning of our two ports.  Together we provide access to two huge international markets that present enormous opportunity for business development. In signing this MOU, we want to explore every opportunity to strengthen that connection and drive business development on both sides of the Atlantic.  We’re genuinely excited about what’s ahead and confident in the mutual benefits this collaboration can deliver.”

Shannon Foynes Port Company is Ireland’s largest bulk port operator and a designated Tier 1 Port of National Significance. Strategically located on the Shannon Estuary, SFPC is poised to serve as a key hub for offshore wind deployment along the Atlantic seaboard.  

BrestPort, Shannon Foynes Port Company, the Brittany Region, and Officials from Irish Government Departments Strengthen Cooperation to Advance Floating Offshore Wind Development Brest, 24 April 2025 — On the occasion of the Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWT) 2025 conference, a high-level working session convened key stakeholders — including BrestPort, the Brittany Region, Shannon Foynes Port Company, and the Irish Department of Transport, — to reinforce collaborative efforts in the advancement of the Atlantic offshore wind sector.   A central outcome of this meeting was the formalization of a strategic partnership between BrestPort and Shannon Foynes Port Company (SFPC), underpinned by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This MoU establishes a framework for joint initiatives aimed at supporting the development of the floating offshore wind (FOW) value chain across the Celtic Sea and Atlantic corridors.   This partnership reflects a shared commitment to fostering a resilient and integrated transnational supply chain dedicated to floating offshore wind energy. It further seeks to promote industrial cooperation, driving economic growth, technological innovation, and sustainability. The MoU provides a foundation for enhanced knowledge exchange and operational synergies, thereby facilitating the accelerated delivery of offshore renewable energy projects. It also remains open to the participation of additional ports to join within this collaborative framework.   Representatives of the Brittany Region and the Irish Department of Transport reiterated their dedication to strengthening cross-border cooperation, underscoring the pivotal role of ports as industrial hubs essential to advancing the green transition and ensuring economic resilience.   Announced at FOWT 2025 — the world’s leading conference dedicated to floating offshore wind — this initiative highlights the strategic alignment between regional authorities, national governments, and industry leaders to unlock the vast potential of offshore renewable energy resources in the North Atlantic ocean basin.   Mr. Christophe Chabert, Chief Executive Officer of BrestPort, stated: "The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding with Shannon Foynes Port Company, alongside the high-level working session with Brittany Region and Irish authorities, represents a significant milestone in the establishment of an Atlantic alliance for renewable energy. Through this partnership, we are forging a vital link between our ports to support the rapid deployment of floating offshore wind infrastructure and to position our regions at the forefront of Europe’s energy transition."   Mr. Pat Keating, Chief Executive Officer of Shannon Foynes Port Company, commented: "This agreement underscores the strategic importance of Franco-Irish collaboration. By leveraging our respective strengths, we aim to develop a world-class supply chain that not only advances national objectives but also contributes meaningfully to European energy security and sustainable development."   About BrestPort BrestPort, operator of Brittany’s principal cargo port, plays a critical role in supporting France’s offshore wind ambitions. The port features a 40-hectare terminal dedicated to the floating wind industry and is firmly committed to sustainable port development.   About Shannon Foynes Port Company (SFPC) Shannon Foynes Port Company is Ireland’s largest bulk port operator and a designated Tier 1 Port of National Significance. Strategically located on the Shannon Estuary, SFPC is poised to serve as a key hub for offshore wind deployment along the Atlantic seaboard.  

 

SFPC Chairman Michael Walsh and CEO Pat Keating were delighted to welcome Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien

to Foynes Port today to discuss the future development plans for the Port including the Foynes Deep Water Terminal,

completion of the Rail Line and Foynes to Limerick Road.

 

Foynes rail link a key first stop on road to decarbonise Tansportation of freight in Ireland increase in freight by rail targeted

 

Monday, 07 October 2024: The reinstated Limerick to Foynes rail link, which is set to be operational by early 2026, will be the first stop in delivering a 14-fold increase in goods being moved by rail here by the end of the next decade, an Irish Exporters Association seminar has been told. The step-change in rail freight activity is necessitated by Ireland’s need to transform from being one of Europe’s laggards when it comes to rail freight, with just 1% of inland freight here currently carried by rail, compared to a European average of approximately 18%. The European Commission’s Green Deal Policy includes targets for as much as 75% of inland freight currently carried by road to shift onto rail and inland waterways. According to Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann Jim Meade at today’s seminar in Foynes, Ireland has a huge task ahead if it is to meet European targets for reducing the impact of transport networks on the environment by transitioning to less impactful, low-carbon modes of transporting freight. But, he says, the €152 million reinstatement of the Foynes rail link is a key first step in the journey. “Enhancing connections with seaports is one of five key pillars of Iarnród Éireann’s Rail Freight 2040 Strategy. Irish port traffic accounts for over 90% of annual imports and exports. But with just 1% of inland freight being carried by rail, it shows just how much freight goes on our roads. That means we are completely out of kilter with where we need to be and with the European average. “Rail freight generates 76% less emissions (per tonne-km) than road haulage and as such there is an opportunity for rail to become a cornerstone of a sustainable freight network across Ireland. “One of the first things we need to do to achieve this is connect our ports by rail and the reinstatement of our Limerick to Foynes rail link is a first key move on our behalf to do this. Reconnecting the port of Foynes to the rail network will drive growth in bulk and intermodal traffic and it will also support opportunities with mining and offshore power generation in the region.” The environmental impact of increasing rail freight is compelling, he said, as it can help in reducing Ireland’s transport impact on the environment and air quality “Transport is responsible for approximately one fifth of all emissions nationally so the expansion of modern rail freight facilities and services can help divert significant volumes away from road haulage and help achieve decarbonisation and environmental targets across the regions.

View Video Link to Shannon Foynes Port's investment

 

Shannon Foynes Port’s record investment to enhance Shannon Estuary as major international supply chain centre

 

• €32m investment will deliver infrastructure to position Foynes as global offshore renewable and logistics hubs
• New jetty infrastructure and one of Ireland’s largest port connected logistics parks another significant step in port company’s vision for enabling transformational growth for region
• Together with reinstated rail link and planned direct motorway/dual-carriageway access will decongest Ireland’s supply chain

 

Monday 2 September 2024:  Shannon Foynes Port has today unveiled a new jetty expansion and logistics park in a key step on the journey propelling Shannon Estuary as a national and international supply chain hub of scale.

 

The record €32m investment, which is co-funded by Shannon Foynes Port and the EU’s ‘Connecting Europe Facility’ (CEF), is a key enabler of the company’s Vison 2041 masterplan that targets the Estuary’s establishment as a global floating offshore wind hub and a freight logistics cluster that will, in particular, decongest the Irish supply chain network.

 

The two-year programme of works has delivered an additional 117m jetty, 12,000m2 of jetty set/down storage by linking the existing east and west jetties at Foynes Port. It has also delivered one of Ireland’s largest serviced, advanced port logistics parks nearby, a 38ha site with planning permission for 127,000ft already granted and with immediate potential for a further 400,000 sq ft of modern logistics warehousing to be developed. The expansion of the new port facilities was officially launched today in Foynes by James Lawless, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for International and Road Transport and Logistics and by Patrick O’Donovan, TD, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. 

 

Speaking at the event, Minister Lawless said, “As an island nation our ports are crucial for economy, with 90% of Ireland’s traded goods passing through our ports. Shannon Foynes is one of our three Tier 1 ports in Ireland and has served this part of the island particularly well, but this expansion reflects both the ambition and opportunity of the port to deepen its impact significantly at a national level but also internationally in the area of offshore energy and logistics supply chain. 

 

“The works we are unveiling here are essentially enablers of this strategy and a key moment on a journey that is focused on a new and unprecedented era of economic growth for this region and, indeed, the entire island. This project is a crucial development in the regional development of our national economy. This is something I believe in passionately. I am a Minister for all of Ireland and I am proud to lead this opening as part of my ongoing agenda and itinerary where I am delighted to visit and open projects like this.”

 

Minister O’Donovan said, “This investment we are unveiling today is all about the future, about ensuring that we have the infrastructure in place not just in this region but in Ireland to create a future where economic growth and sustainability go hand in glove. Shannon Foynes Port has been planning for that future as far back as a decade ago with the launch of its masterplan Vision 2041 and a great thing about what we are unveiling today also is that it is a port authority that clearly delivers on its ambition.”

 

Shannon Foynes Port CEO Pat Keating said, “We’re building for the future here and we are effectively enabling the future here.  It’s a future that we all want for generations following us as we’re investing heavily in infrastructure that will do two things. One is to accelerate our journey as a nation to become a world leader in offshore renewable energy by harnessing our limitless wind energy capacity off the Atlantic seaboard. The second thing is that this same infrastructure will enhance our freight capacity massively by giving us extra quayside capacity and providing for one of the largest port logistics parks in the country.

 

“When you couple that with the investment by Irish Rail in reestablishing the rail link to Foynes and by government in the development of the new Limerick to Foynes road, which will give us motorway and dual-carriage way access direct to the port, we will have a Tier 1 port here that is amongst the most accessible in Europe. The net effect of that also is that we will now be within two and half hours of 75% of Ireland’s GDP. So, we not alone help power the economy, but we decongest it at the same time. That means business growth for this region, that means unprecedented access to freight goods for other regions and it also means decongestion of our capital city.”

 

Shannon Foynes Port Chairperson Michael Walsh said, “The opportunity ahead is unparalleled for Ireland thanks to the confluence of assets here on the Estuary. Its unrivalled deep waters, proximity to some of the most powerful winds in the world and soon to be radically enhanced multi-modal connectivity, means that we are on the cusp of something very significant here. You need a plan, and you need the people to make that happen and today confirms we at Shannon Foynes Port have both. This is one step on a journey that has some distance to go but one that I’ve every confidence will be travelled. Shannon Foynes Port has a key role in delivering this opportunity for Ireland.”

Europe’s largest port Rotterdam and Shannon Foynes to explore development of European green fuels supply chain corridor

Europe’s largest port Rotterdam and Shannon Foynes to explore development of European green fuels supply chain corridor

Shannon Foynes Port Company hosting Five Days of Events for the Annual Irish Port Safety Week

Shannon Foynes Port Company hosting Five Days of Events for the Annual Irish Port Safety Week