#TradeSoars -Almost €11m in dividend from Dublin Port Company has been paid to the State as trade and profits surge at the semi-state business.
The dividend for 2015 writes The Irish Independent is almost 24pc more than was paid by Dublin Port in respect of 2014.
Dublin Port Company chief executive Eamonn O'Reilly said that 2016 had started strongly, with the overall level of trade at the facility jumping 6.8pc in the first quarter of the year. Imports were up 6pc in the period, while exports were 7.9pc higher.
The port is now even busier than it was during the boom, with an average of 20 ships a day arriving there during the first three months of 2016.
Trade at the port grew 17.3pc in the three years to the end of 2015.
"Were growth to continue at these rates, Dublin Port's throughput would double by 2026," said Mr O'Reilly, who has been CEO since 2010.
Dublin Port has already embarked on a major €230m project to expand its facilities. That scheme will be completed in four years.
The so-called Alexandra Basin Redevelopment (ABR) will deepen and extend berths, enabling it to handle bigger vessels.
The European Investment Bank has provided €100m in finance for the Alexandra Basin project. It's part of a major masterplan for Dublin Port that is designed to steer expansion to cope with growth up to 2040.
The ABR also includes a scheme for allowing larger cruise ships to visit the capital. They'll also be able to berth closer to the city centre.
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