Dublin Port Company has said the volume of goods passing through the port in the third quarter of this year was 7.5 million tonnes, up nearly 12% on the same period last year.
Imports increased by 10.7% to 4.8 million tonnes, and exports reached 2.6 million tonnes, an increased of 14.3% on the same period in 2005. The total for the first nine months of 2006 is running 8.4% ahead of a year earlier.
The number of trade cars coming through Dublin Port in Q3 fell by 9%, however, to 18,519, while ferry passenger numbers were down 10% to 421,229. Tourist cars were down more than 20% to 85,022.
Dublin Port says that while ferry tourism numbers continue to decrease due to increased competition from the low-fares airlines, the cruise industry at Dublin Port experienced its busiest year to date. In 2006, Dublin Port Company hosted 75 cruise liners, carrying more than 65,000 passengers and 28,000 crew members. It says this has injected up to €50m into the local economy.
