Trade at Dublin Port recovered strongly in Q1 of 2022 with growth of 13.7 per cent to 8.9 million gross tonnes, new figures show.
It comes following a large decline of 15.2 per cent in Q1 of 2021 due to Brexit.
According to Dublin Port Company, imports from January to March grew by 14.2 per cent to 5.4 million gross tonnes compared to the same period in 2021.
Meanwhile, exports also grew by 12.8 per cent to 3.5 million gross tonnes.
Dublin Port Company has today reported trading figures for the first quarter of 2022.
Unitised trade with GB recovers strongly (+23.0%) while unitised trade with EU countries continues to grow (+1.8%).
Find out more https://t.co/UTVyksDG5h pic.twitter.com/NjEboaTi1m— Dublin Port Company (@DublinPortCo) April 20, 2022
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Commenting on the Q1 2022 figures, Dublin Port’s chief executive, Eamonn O’Reilly, said:
“Dublin Port accounts for four-fifths of all trailers and containers handled in ports in Ireland and, in the first quarter of 2022, volumes grew strongly by 13 per cent to 363,000 units.
“This recovery was driven, in large part, by the 23 per cent growth to 192,000 units in freight volumes on services to the ports of Holyhead, Liverpool and Heysham. However, volumes on these routes are still 18 per cent below their pre-Brexit levels
“Elsewhere, volumes of trailers and containers on services to the EU and beyond – which had increased by 18 per cent last year – grew in the first quarter of 2022 by a further two per cent to 171,000 units.
“Imports of petroleum through Dublin Port account for nearly one-third of all of the country’s energy needs and, in the first quarter, volumes of petrol, diesel and other fuels increased by one-fifth.”
According to Mr O'Reilly, Dublin Port’s last record year was 2019 and volumes in the first quarter of this year were eight per cent lower than they had been three years ago.
“The level of growth we are now seeing at the start of 2022 suggests that record throughput levels will again be seen by 2023 or 2024,” Mr O'Reilly said.
“This growth maintains the pressure on us to continue to deliver our large capital programme at pace. This will not be easy against the background of high inflation which is particularly evident in the construction sector.”
Outside of Dublin Port’s cargo business, passenger and tourism volumes partially recovered.
Passenger numbers on ferries increased by more than 150 per cent to 209,000 while tourist vehicles more than doubled to 58,000.
However, both passenger numbers and tourist vehicle volumes remain significantly behind their pre-pandemic levels of 2019.
