The Minister made his first visit to the Port of Larne last Wednesday, during which he met with senior port management following a brief tour of the port and seeing for himself the ro-ro operation in progress.

Keith Millar, managing director of Larne Harbour Ltd, was encouraged by the Minister's visit.

He said: "Mr Murphy is clearly aware of Larne's importance as the main port for ro-ro traffic in Northern Ireland. We also explained to him how, in 2008 to date, around half of the tourist vehicles travelling between NI and Scotland have used Larne".

A range of port and transport related issues were discussed during the visit, with the Minister again reaffirming his Department's commitment to delivering the project to complete the dual carriageway on the A8 road to Belfast at the earliest possible date.

"We recognise that there are planning and other processes to go through," said Keith Millar, "but there is no doubt that the Minister is determined that this project goes ahead with all possible speed".

"This is clearly good news for the Port of Larne which continues to be one of the top UK ports for ro-ro freight traffic. With the ongoing works to both the Westlink and the M2 between Sandyknowes and Greencastle, Larne's connections to the road network across the island of Ireland continue to improve.

"Completion of the A8 dualling will bring the Irish Eastern Seaboard Key Transport Corridor up to the standard deserving of Trans European route status," said Mr Millar.

Mr Murphy also confirmed that he has met his counterpart in the Scottish Government to underline the importance of continuing improvements to the A75 and A77 roads serving the Loch Ryan ferry ports.

Mr Millar added: "Both the Northern Ireland Minister and Scottish Ministers recognise how vital the ferry link through Loch Ryan is to our economies. Mr Murphy is clearly supportive of the need for further road improvements on the Scottish side of the routes to get maximum benefit of the spend on Northern Ireland's infrastructure."