Dublin Port Company has today opened its €127m redeveloped RoRo freight terminal T4.
Self-financed by Dublin Port Company and delivered on time - and on budget - the company said the new terminal marks a major milestone in the delivery of its masterplan to futureproof the port's cargo handling capacity up to 2040.
The new T4 terminal will handle more than 220,000 RoRo units annually, which equates to over one-fifth of all RoRo units at Dublin Port based on 2022 volumes.
The new terminal comes into operation at a time of growing demand for unaccompanied RoRo freight services (goods on trailers transported by ferry without a driver) to and from the greater Dublin market post-Brexit.
It has also enabled the opening of a new transhipment route to Santander in Spain.
The T4 terminal sees 3km of new quay walls come into operation as well as the upgrading of Victorian-era port infrastructure to service direct routes between Dublin and Liverpool/Heysham by ferry operator Seatruck.
The work also involved the demolition of an old jetty, replaced with two modern jetties of 270m each, which can accommodate the largest ferries measuring 240m in length and which have been future-proofed to allow for shore to ship power in the years ahead.
Dublin Port is the country's largest freight and passenger port handling about 51% of national tonnage.
Its importance is even more pronounced in the unitised freight sector as it handles 71% of all Load-on/Load-off and 80% of all Roll-on/Roll-off tonnage in and out of the country.
Barry O'Connell, chief executive of Dublin Port Company, said that Dublin is already one of the most efficient ports in Europe.
"With T4, we are driving even more efficiencies and facilitating growing customer demand for direct shipping routes between Dublin, the UK and Europe," Mr O'Connell said.
"Even with T4 now fully in operation, Dublin is running at 91% average capacity and therefore it is imperative that our plans to complete all three of our Masterplan 2040 projects continue as planned," he said.
"This will ensure we create the capacity needed to support the ongoing growth in the economy to 2040, while providing new public amenities that will support the growth of our city and neighbouring community for decades to come," he added.
Opening the new terminal, Minister of State Jack Chambers said that in line with its Masterplan, Dublin Port has been progressing the necessary infrastructure to provide for increases in throughput.
"T4 will greatly enhance Roll-on/Roll-off capabilities at the Port. As an island nation, sufficient capacity and the efficient and seamless operation of our ports are indispensable for the success of Ireland's importers and exporters," he added.
