The first meeting of the Irish Sea Resilience Taskforce has been held, bringing together representatives from across Wales, Ireland and beyond to strengthen vital sea connections between the nations.

The taskforce was established following December's temporary closure of Holyhead port, which highlighted the critical importance of maintaining reliable sea routes between Wales and Ireland.

Led by the Welsh Government's transport secretary, Ken Skates, alongside economy cecretary, Rebecca Evans, and the Irish government's transport minister, Seán Canney, the group will work to improve the resilience of sea connections and port facilities.

The taskforce's core membership includes representatives from the Welsh, Irish, UK, Scottish and Northern Ireland governments, local authorities, port operators, ferry companies, and logistics industry representatives, and will call upon experts for input into specific themes.

Ken Skates, who is also the North Wales secretary, said: "It has been good today to all come together to discuss how we can strengthen the resilience of the vital sea links between Wales and Ireland."

"The strategic importance of these links is clear. This taskforce will examine how we can prevent similar disruptions in the future and look at how we can respond when challenges arise at any of our ports, building on the experiences of last December."

Rebecca Evans added: "Dependable transport routes across the Irish Sea are essential for economic growth in our regions. Following the recent ferry berth closures, we'll build on the effective joint working we've seen to ensure our ports can respond to changing circumstances."

"It’s good to see how we can all work together across nations, governments and organisations to improve the resilience of these important links”.  

Seán Canney added: “I was delighted to join Transport Secretary Ken Skates and Economy Secretary Rebecca Evans in person today to underline the Irish Government’s commitment to building resilience in sea connections and port facilities on both sides of the Irish Sea."

"This taskforce represents a meaningful opportunity to bring together stakeholders from across the spectrum to learn from recent events and plan effectively for the future.”

Today's meeting marks the first of six scheduled sessions. Members agreed on terms of reference and priority areas for action, including contingency planning, current infrastructure projects, and future development needs.

The taskforce will conclude its work in October 2025.