Trade at Dublin Port rose for the second month in a row in January, sparking some optimism that there were some signs of recovery for the irish economy.
Overall throughput rose 1.4 per cent to 2.13 million tonnes during the month compared to January 2009, while exports rose 7.3 per cent year on year to 814,000 tonnes. Imports were down, however, falling 2 per cent to 1.317 million tonnes.
Meanwhile, unitised trade rose 6.4 per cent higher in January, reaching 1.7 million tonnes. Unitised trade, which includes consumer goods carried by Roll-on, Roll-off (RoRo) and Lift-on, Lift-off (LoLo) modes, accounts for 78 per cent of Dublin Port's throughput. was than the corresponding month in 2009.
The continued difficulty in the construction market affected the bulk solid trade, which fell 19.6 per cent.
Meanwhile, ferry passengers were up 5.3 per cent to 75,164.
"Given that Ireland is more dependent on trade for growth in GDP than any other European country, with the exception of the Benelux countries, it is encouraging to see that trade levels are beginning to see small increases following strong stabilisation over a number of months," said Dublin Port Company (DPC) chief executive Enda Connellan.
"While trade levels have fallen from the record highs of 2007, Dublin Port continues to handle between four to five times the level of trade that it handled almost 20 years ago."
The company said any further increases would be dependent on a number of factors, including the strength of the euro, consumer sentiment and growth in the eocnomies of trading partners.
"Should these factors work in our favour, the uplift in trade could bring our total throughput on an annualised basis close to 28 million tonnes for the second half of the year," said DPC's chief financial officer Michael Sheary. "Competitiveness too is crucial in helping to facilitate growth in exports."
Dublin Port activity is considered by economists to be a key barometer of the Irish economy. Economist Jim Power said it was reassuring to see a rise in trade levels there.
"While underlying economic challenges remain and it is too early to call an end to difficulties, the trend experienced by Dublin Port is encouraging," he said.
