Dublin Port Company today reported an operating profit of €25.6 million for 2006 in what was an increase of over 36 per cent on the previous year.
The State-owned company said "throughput" or the quantity of freight processed was 29.3 million tonnes, up 8.7 per cent on 2005.
Dublin Port throughput was already up 10 per cent in the first six months of this year, with turnover also up to €34 million or 7 per cent on the same period in 2006.
The containerised trade sector, which represents three-quarters of total throughput, has seen the most significant rise, with 10 per cent growth in roll-on-roll-off traffic and 15 per cent growth in load-on-load-off traffic in 2006.
With these strong levels of growth, throughput at Dublin Port is expected to exceed 30 million in 2007, the company forecast.
"Following a number of years of decline in the ferry travel sector, the sector seems to be experiencing a turnaround in fortunes," it said. In 2006, ferry passenger numbers fell by only 0.8 per cent, compared to a slide of 14.2 per cent in 2005.
Tourist traffic for the first half of 2007 has increased by 17 per cent, it said.