Dublin Port sees rise in trade figures
Dublin Port Company has published its latest trade figures showing half-year growth of 2.9%.
Overall, volumes in Dublin Port have grown by 28.8% in five years.
Growth was driven by exports which were up by 4.4% with imports ahead by 1.9%.
The first half included the busiest ever month in the history of Dublin Port with 3.2 million gross tonnes of goods passing through the port in May.
Growth was particularly strong in Ro-Ro freight with 485,463 units in the first six months, an increase of 5.4% on the previous year.
Within this total, Ro-Ro services between Ireland and Britain grew strongly at 6.3%. Elsewhere, Lo-Lo containers grew by 1.4% to 335,131 TEU.
Tourism volumes on ferries grew strongly with passenger numbers ahead by 3.3% to 776,000 in the first six months. Cruise tourism is also growing in Dublin with 50 cruise ships calling in the first six months.
The volume of new imported trade vehicles through Dublin Port fell by 8.7%, reflecting the large increase in recent times of second-hand vehicle imports from the UK.
