A new customs control facility and border control post has been officially opened at Rosslare Europort in Co Wexford.
Referred to as Terminal 7 and built at a cost of close to €230 million, it is one of the biggest capital infrastructure projects of its kind in Ireland.
A significant amount of the construction cost came from the EU's Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR).
Rosslare Europort has seen a more than six-fold increase in direct European sailings since Brexit, with many freight and delivery companies shifting from using the UK landbridge to more direct sea routes with the European Union.
The major infrastructure upgrades reflect this growth, as well as the new customs requirements that come with the port becoming a major gateway between Ireland and mainland Europe.
The new facility will handle post-Brexit checks on goods coming into the country from outside the EU.
The complex includes permanent facilities to check food products and compliance with sanitary legislation.
There are also new garda immigration and customs and border control facilities for the Department of Agriculture and the HSE.
There will be designated check-in areas for freight and cars, as well as inspection areas for live animals and food checks.
In total, 34 new buildings have been constructed, including the replacement of temporary infrastructure and processing facilities which have been in place since new regulations came into effect following Brexit in 2021.
The set-up is designed to provide protection for the EU single market.
A new truck scanner will allow the Office of the Revenue Commissioners to carry out checks on vehicles as they enter the country, as part of Revenue’s strategy to target fraud.
Minister for Public Expenditure and Infrastructure Jack Chambers said the project had been delivered "on time and on budget" by the Office of Public Works and by the main contractor John Paul Construction.
"Critically, this essential new infrastructure guarantees Ireland stable and continued access through Rosslare to the EU single market and its population of 450 million people," he said.
Speaking at the opening, Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Kevin "Boxer" Moran said the "Terminal complex will well serve the Irish economy and the development of the South East region as a whole."
