DUBLIN PORT HAS hit back at claims that new charges to be introduced next year are “hidden tariffs” that will push up the price of food, fuel and construction materials.
The Irish Road Hauliers Association (IRHA) has criticised the new charges which will include a 5% increase on the price of a container and a new €15 “infrastructure charge” on top of this.
The IRHA has said this amounts to an “effective 46% increase in the price of a container coming into and out of Ireland”.
The changes are due to come into place in March and will see the overall costs per container rise by around €17 to around €53.
The average shipping container at Dublin Port is understood to hold an average of €100,000 worth of goods.
But IRHA president Ger Hyland claimed the new charges will lead to “higher supermarket prices, higher fuel prices and higher construction material prices”.
He further claimed that the new charges “put Ireland’s competitiveness and ability to compete on the international stage in jeopardy”.
The IRHA said it was “baffled at how this hidden tariff has been sanctioned by the Minister for Transport at a time when some supermarket staples have increased by 55% in just three years”.
“These charges — effectively hidden tariffs — risk driving up consumer prices, squeezing already pressured supply chains, and undermining the competitiveness of Irish importers, exporters, and logistics operators,” said Hyland.
“We lambasted Trump for imposing 15% tariffs on hard pressed Irish businesses and consumers but now Dublin Port has gone ahead and imposed massive back door tariffs on Irish trade in what can only be described as a spectacular own goal.”
Hyland added that the charges will “inevitably cascade through the supply chain” and will “lead to even higher prices for hard pressed Irish consumers”.
However, Dublin Port noted that the changes come on the back of consultation with customers.
In a statement, Dublin Port Company said the new charges will support the next phase of “Masterplan 2040”.
The Masterplan seeks to ensure that no capacity constraints emerge in Dublin Port between now and 2040.
Dublin Port added that the Masterplan has “resulted in the requirement for a significant increase in both market pricing and borrowings”.
“Average annual capital investment set to increase from €65m (2015–2024) to approximately €170m between 2025 and 2030,” said a spokesperson,
“Continued investment at this scale is essential to maintain capacity and resilience at a Port that already facilitates €165bn of trade each year.”
The Dublin Port spokesperson said the updated charges and the introduction of an infrastructure levy are “necessary to fund this investment”.
“While we recognise that the increase presents challenges for customers, the changes should be viewed against the substantial economic value the Port enables, and they are not expected to have an inflationary impact,” added the spokesperson.
However, Hyland remarked that investment in infrastructure projects at Dublin Port should note result in increased prices for “consumers in Kerry, Cork and Clare”.
“At a time when households and businesses are struggling, the last thing Ireland needs is a new layer of charges that make basic goods more expensive,” said Hyland.
