Dublin Port has said it is on track for another record year after seeing trade volumes rise by 6.8% between January and September.
Dublin Port saw more than 15.4 million tonnes imported in the first nine months of 2016 - up 6.7% - while exports rose by 7% to 10.6 million tonnes, reflecting the continuing improvement in the domestic economy.
More than 77,000 cars were imported through the port so far this year, an increase of nearly 10% on the same time last year, as demand for new cars and commercial vehicles showed little sign of slowing down.
Dublin Port also saw a 0.5% increase in ferry passengers, with more than 1.46 million people arriving by boat here in the first nine months of the year.
The number of tourist vehicles also rose by 0.5% to hit almost 401,000, today's figures show.
Eamonn O'Reilly, the company's chief executive, said that in the period to September of this year, the port handled the same volume as it did in the whole of 2009, its lowest point after the economic collapse.
"The pace of growth is so strong that if current growth levels were to continue into the future, Dublin Port's volumes would double over the 12 years to 2025. Our challenge now is how best to create additional port capacity in sufficient time to stay ahed of this growth," he added.
