Dublin Port exports rise as imports fall
Dublin Port Company's trade figures for 2011 published today show total throughput in 2011 was down 0.1% to 28.1m tonnes from last year's figures.
The numbers show that exports continued to grow and were up 2.8% in the year at 11.5m tonnes, while imports stood at 16.6m tonnes - down 2%
Ferry passenger numbers fell by 5.6% to 1.7m, putting the port behind only Dublin Airport and Cork Airport as a national tourism gateway.
The cruise liner side of Dublin Port’s business saw a 7.5% increase in cruise passengers. During 2011, 87 cruise ships brought over 135,000 passengers and crew to Dublin.
Eamonn O’Reilly, Dublin Port Company’s Chief Executive said: "Trade levels at Dublin Port were steady in 2011 which is a robust performance given the large (6.1%) increase in the port’s volumes in the previous year.
"Whereas export volumes have continued to grow and are now 0.5m tonnes higher than they were in 2007, the poor performance of the domestic economy has resulted in a continued decline in imports. These are now 3.4m tonnes lower than they were in 2007.
"Notwithstanding the poor performance of the economy we are continuing to plan for the future and will shortly be launching our Masterplan 2012 to 2040. Dublin remains the largest and most important port on the island and our Masterplan is intended to ensure we continue to provide vital port capacity particularly as the economy returns to growth in coming years.
"With all the difficulties in the economy we are still only 9% behind where we were at the peak in 2007 and we believe that any pick-up in domestic demand will quickly translate into growth in import volumes. The Masterplan will ensure we stay ahead of future growth in demand for decades to come."
