For the first time in four years, there has been an increase in the numbers of passengers using ferries, according to the annual shipping figures released by the Maritime Development Office this morning.
But the figures also give more indications of an economic slowdown as overall traffic in containers and bulk cargoes through the country's ports is falling.
Three million containers, carrying an estimated €135 billion worth of trade, were handled at Irish ports last year, according to the Irish Maritime Development Office, part of the Marine Institute.
But while there was overall growth of between 3% and 6% for containers, the third and fourth quarters of last year showed signs of economic slowdown as container traffic tailed off. The ports handling bulk commodities also saw a 1% fall in their volumes.
However, passenger traffic on the ferries has returned to growth. Ferry routes to both Britain and the Continent benefited with traffic up by 3%, reversing a 5% decline in recent years.
Glenn Murphy, Director of the IMDO, said there has also been an encouraging increase in exports to China and Asia, but it seems there may be choppy economic waters ahead.
