Record numbers of cruise passengers used Dublin Port last year
The company behind it plans to inject €132 million into the facility throughout 2018.
RECORD NUMBERS OF cruise passengers used Dublin Port last year, new figures show.
Data published by the company that operates the facility show that the number of cruise visitors using the port broke the 210,000-mark for the first time ever in 2017.
The number of cruise visitors – which includes both passengers and crew members – increased by more than 30% compared to 2016′s tally.
There was a significant increase in the number of cruise calls at the port, with 127 ships making a stop in the capital, 18 more than the year before.
Dublin Port Company also recorded an increase in the size of the cruise ships visiting the capital, with the average cruise ship increasing from just over 39,940 gross tonnes to 45,270 gross tonnes.
According to 2016 CSO figures, roughly half of all cruise passengers visiting Ireland pass through Dublin with Cork the country’s second busiest port.
The company also reported marginal growth in ferry passenger numbers, handling just over 1.8 million visitors last year, a year-on-year increase of 1.8%.
The figures published today also show that cargo volumes through Dublin Port have surpassed 2007 levels for the third successive year in a row, reaching 36.4 million gross tonnes in 2017, up 4.3% on 2016′s figure.
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New vehicle imports
Imports grew by 3.9% to 21.5 million gross tonnes and exports increased by nearly 5% to 14.9 million gross tonnes.
However, new vehicle imports fell last year – from about 104,180 to 99,300 vehicles - which Dublin Port attributed to a large increase in used cars being brought into Ireland from the UK thanks to a favourable euro-sterling exchange rate.
Commenting on the new figures, Dublin Port chief executive Eamonn O’Reilly said he expects to see “another record year in 2018″.
“Every year from 1993 to 2007 was a record year in Dublin Port,” he said. “In the past three years we have seen this pattern re-emerge, with 2017 the third year in a row for record growth.”
Last year, the company invested €75 million in the facility. It plans to pump in another €132 million throughout 2018.
On Brexit, O’Reilly said that while the UK’s decision to leave the EU brings “uncertainties and challenges”, he is confident it won’t affect Dublin Port’s business.
“Over the next two months, we will finalise our plans for the required re-introduction of border controls on trade with Britain and I am confident that the controls required will not significantly hinder the movement of goods or people through Dublin Port,” he said.
