Irish ports handled 13.1 million tonnes of merchandise in the second quarter of 2022, an increase of 1 per cent on the same quarter last year, as supply chain disruption triggered by Covid-19 eased.
Figures from the Central Statistics Office show goods “forwarded” from Irish ports amounted to more than 4.2 million tonnes, while a total of 8.9 million tonnes of goods were received.
Britain and Northern Ireland accounted for just over one-third (36 per cent) of the total tonnage of goods handled in the main ports by region of trade during April, May and June. Other EU countries accounted for 39 per cent.
Dublin Port
The total number of vessels arriving during the quarter in the seven main Irish ports increased by 2 per cent when compared with the same period in 2021.
Dublin Port, by far the biggest goods port, accounted for 63 per cent of the traffic.
Brexit had triggered a reduction in cargo volumes from British ports as firms here switched from using the UK as a landbridge into Europe and as incoming UK trade was damaged by Brexit-related bureaucracy.
The disruption saw reduced trade with the British ports of Holyhead, Liverpool and Heysham. Trading volumes with the UK have stabilised since.
