Dublin Port recorded a 10.9 per cent decline in throughput in the first half of the year although the fall recorded in the second quarter was not as bad as originally feared.
The port’s chief executive Eamonn O’Reilly said that, at this level, the volume of goods travelling through the port for the full year will likely be back at what it was in 2016.
New figures show throughput fell by 17 per cent from April to June as the full impact of the Covid-19 lockdown was felt. This followed a 4.8 per cent decline in the first quarter due to Brexit stockpiling a year earlier.
However, the second quarter decline was less than envisaged with a 26.2 per cent fall in April followed by a smaller drop of 20.5 per cent in May and of just 5.5 per cent last month.
Unitised trade, which encompasses trailers and containers, fell by 13.5 per cent to 321,000 units in the quarter. Imports of new trade vehicles slumped by 64.9 per cent to just 9,900 while bulk liquid volumes was down 37.8 per cent to 715,000 tonnes.
Ferry passenger numbers decreased by 78.2 per cent to 120,000, with the number of tourist vehicles down 84.2 per cent to 24,000.
There were no cruise ship calls to the port in the second quarter and none is anticipated for the remainder of the year.
