Port of Cork on the hunt for investors
The Port of Cork is hoping to find investors as it plans for second cruise berth in Cork.
This came to light at a construction summit on Leeside yesterday when the Port of Cork CEO Brendan Keating spoke about its future in Cork city and county.
He said: “We must continue to invest in port infrastructure and that is exactly what we are doing at the moment. We are planning for the development of a second cruise berth and that’s underway at the moment and we are seeking to get investors to come on board with us.”
Speaking at the Southern Construct event, organised by the Construction Industry Federation, Mr Keating also said that the Port of Cork team was busy constructing a major new container terminal for the Port of Cork.
He also said that it’s the port’s expectation is that it will vacate its Tivoli site by 2020 and the new container terminal will be operational in Ringaskiddy.
“We will see that site redeveloped for housing and businesses are we are anticipating that it could be have 4,500 houses on it.”
He said that the Port of Cork will, in time, vacate the city quays and management is working with Cork City Council on this.
Meanwhile, the Port of Cork yesterday said that it hopes the former IFI site at Marino Point could become a dynamic industrial hub as it held a public information day.
In 2017, the Port of Cork jointly with Lanber Holdings purchased Marino Point, a deep-water port facility in Cork Harbour and set up Belvelly Marino Development Company which operates as Belvelly Port Facility. Following consultation with Belvelly Marino Development Company, stakeholders, residents and a design team, the Belvelly Port Facility Masterplan was developed.
The masterplan sets out the strategic approach of Belvelly Marino Development Company and is a guide to the future development of Belvelly Port Facility. The aim of the masterplan is to create a framework for the proposed on-going industrial development of the site, while creating a high-quality workplace environment for the future workforce population.
Henry Kingston, Port Engineering Manager at the Port of Cork said: “A lot of work has been going on in the background since we jointly purchased the Belvelly Port Facility in 2017 and we are delighted today to consult with residents, local representatives, and other stakeholders on the masterplan for the site. The masterplan will act as a guide to both decision making and the phasing of any proposed developments to ensure the most appropriate fit for existing infrastructure and services and we welcome the views and input from stakeholders as we move forward to enabling works and the environmental clean-up of the site.”
It is envisaged that Marino Point will be developed to accommodate a range of industrial and port related activities and could become a dynamic industrial hub for the area, thus creating employment.
A public information day took place yesterday and another one takes place today (Thursday) in Belvelly Port Facility from 4-8pm.