Northern Ireland Trust ports consultation

Views sought on government policy on local Trust ports and legislation on Statutory Harbour Authorities.

The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has launched a consultation on its policy relating to Ports and any legislative changes that are necessary for this sector.

Ports play a vital role in our local economy and are the main gateway for imports and exports. As we rely heavily on ports for essential provisions it is important that they can operate as competitively as possible.

In Northern Ireland, four out of the five main commercial ports are known as 'Trust Ports':

• Belfast
• Coleraine
• Foyle
• Warrenpoint

The fifth, Larne Port, is privately operated. The context all our ports operate within has evolved over the years as various challenges have emerged and continue to do so, such as high supply chain cost inflation and the requirement to decarbonise. It is therefore necessary to review the policy and legislation associated with Trust Ports as well as to clarify and formalise the relationship between DfI and the Trust Ports.

Much of this consultation deals with issues relating to Trust Ports, but there is consideration of legislative areas on that relate to all Statutory Harbour Authorities (SHAs). Views are welcomed on how DfI’s policy can be updated and any legislative changes which may required as a result.

The consultation focuses on the following issues:

• Office of National Statistics (ONS) classification
• commercial powers available to the Trust Ports
• new and amending Harbour Orders
• marine safety legislation

Find out more about the consultation and how to respond.

First published 17 December 2024