Volume of goods managed by Irish ports up 7% last year
The Port of Cork managed the most cruise ships, 103, during 2024 out of all ports in Ireland. File picture: Larry Cummins
The volume of goods handled by Irish ports recovered well in 2024 increasing by 7% but still remains below figures seen during 2022, new data from the Central Statistics Office shows.
During 2022, all Irish ports combined managed over 53.3 million tonnes of goods which declined to 47.8 million during 2023. Data shows that during 2024, Irish ports handled 51 million tonnes of goods which is a 7% increase year-on-year.
According to the CSO, there were 35.5 million tonnes of goods received into Ireland while 15.6 million tonnes were forwarded to other countries.
Britain and Northern Ireland accounted for 16 million tonnes of the total while the European Union countries accounted for 25 million tonnes of goods handled in the main ports.
During the last three months of 2024, just over 12 million tonnes of goods were shipped through the seven main ports - Bantry Bay, Cork, Drogheda, Dublin, Rosslare, Shannon Foynes, and Waterford - an increase of 3% compared to the same period the year prior.
In 2024, 11,958 vessels arrived in Irish ports compared with 12,191 in 2023. Dublin port accounted for 57% of all vessel arrivals in Irish ports last year.
The damage sustained at Holyhead Port in December, which disrupted shipping between Ireland and Britain in the pre-Christmas period, did not seem to have a severe impact on overall shipping volumes towards the end of last year.
Holyhead in Wales is one of the most important ports for Irish shipping in the UK with the Dublin to Holyhead route alone accounting for 34% of roll-on roll-off traffic between Ireland and Britain in a given year, according to the Department of Transport.
There was a 1% decline in roll-on roll-off traffic in the seven main Irish ports between October and December. There was also a 12% decline in liquid bulk which includes petroleum, water, or liquid natural gas. This was offset by a 15% increase in dry bulk goods managed by these seven ports.
However, these figures only account for the last three months of 2024 and Holyhead remained closed on January 16.
In terms of cruise ships, a total of 292 arrived at Irish ports in 2024 compared to 272 in 2023 with Cork receiving the highest number with 103, followed by Dún Laoghaire at 71, and Dublin at 33.
