Post-Brexit, Ireland has become almost completely free of its former dependency on congested and expensive land routes, through England from Liverpool to the channel ferries at Calais.
Thomas Byrne, Ireland’s Minister for European Affairs, told RTÉ News a year ago:
“The whole port, the [Nord Pas de Calais] region, the [Dunkirk] chamber of commerce, is behind this, to get even more connections to Ireland. We only had 12 direct routes to France before Brexit, now it’s 44. We are looking as well next summer towards tourism to get Irish tourists into this region, but also of course, tourists from Northern France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. They have more direct routes into Ireland too.”
https://trans.info/en/yet-more-growth-in-shipping-routes-between-ireland-and-european-mainland-258036
Why might we need more ferry routes to Europe?
Only Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and the North East of England were net exporters of goods.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/internationaltrade/bulletins/internationaltradeinuknationsregionsandcities/2020
How many ferry routes do we have to export those goods?
None as yet.
Are the Scottish MSM interested?
There’s been an announcement of one but not even BBC Scotland Business have it. Just the DR today:
A new ferry link between Scotland and mainland Europe is set to launch in spring 2023, and while it will initially be for freight only, passenger transportation could soon follow
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/scotland-now/new-ferry-route-between-scotland-28436043
Are Scotland’s MSM interested in other types of ferry fiasco story?
There are more, endlessly more.
Talking-up Scotland 
The unionists are using their long-time and, until now, effective tactic of ‘attack is the best form of defence’. Focus, with the compliance of the media of what are portrayed as failures of the Scottish Government and hammer away on these to the exclusion of achievements of the Scottish Government and failures of Westminster. It is a variation of the ‘diverting attention’ tactic.
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Have shared this on Twitter and FB and I now await the usual suspects with their ‘the SNP can’t build two ferries, how are they gonna manage over 40?’
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The success of Ireland regarding its maritime transport links in response to Brexit – its government and private sector interests working together – is an object lesson. Here is a smaller, independent, democratic country proving that its institutions, businesses and the talent of its citizens are very far from being too poor, too wee or too stupid to cope, to change, in the wake of an adverse circumstance – in this case linked to trade – created by a third party.
Of course there are some things that can’t be altered – namely distance between ports. What follows is for ‘perspective’, comparing sea distances to major European ports from Ireland and Scotland:
Source: https://sea-distances.org
Cork to Rotterdam Europe’s largest port) = 572 nautical miles
Dublin to Rotterdam = 628 nautical miles
Forth Ports to Rotterdam = 385 nautical miles
Rosslare Europort to Hamburg (Germany’s largest port by volume) = 814 nautical miles
Forth Ports to Hamburg = 481 nautical miles
Rosslare Europort to Le Havre (France’s leading port) = 369 nautical miles
Forth Ports to Le Havre = 507 nautical miles
And finally for interest:
Aberdeen to Gothenburg (largest port in Scandinavia) = 463 nautical miles
Forth Ports to Gothenburg = 515 nautical miles
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A tangential aspect to ferries the Irish tackled head on was freight hubs – Essentially all of them were in England before the Brexit vote dawned – They now have their own at quite considerable loss to the UK economy…
Yet another aspect we will have to confront come independence as the hard border, minefields, machine gun nests and Gaza style aerial balloon cameras take their toll, all facing south to Dickensian England 🙄
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The ferries from Ireland to mainland Europe reflect the realignment of Irish trade from the UK to the EU.
If Ireland regarded the UK as a desirable and reliable trading partner it would be cheaper to ship goods to England.
They don’t.
Heads up for a future Scottish state.
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I wrote this article almost two years ago on this very issue. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/galloway-seaport-freight-volumes-under-23353650
I do feel, however, that the Scot Gov could and perhaps should have got on the front foot much more quickly after the Brexit vote to further new trading links from Scotland to Europe.
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