A second cruise ship terminal the Port of Cork hopes to be operational in Cobh by the end of the decade which will see up to 150 such ships visiting the town every year.

In the interim it's planned to move cruise liners out of Ringaskiddy, due to increased shipping demands there, and berth the larger ships at the existing terminal in Cobh and smaller ones at a new terminal which will be developed at Marino Point (see related story).

A number of businesses are interested in moving into the former Irish Fertilisers Industries (IFI) site at Marino Point and it's expected the harbourside facility will be full and operational by 2023.

Gouldings have already applied for planning permission to move their fertiliser facility from Centre Park Road in Cork city down to Marino Point, and according to Port of Cork chairman John Mullins, another large agri-related business is “in very advance discussions” with the joint venture company, Belvelly Marino Development Company (BMDC), set up by the port authority to develop the site.

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Afloat adds that in recent years there has been an increased use of the former IFI jetty at Marino Point, where vessels have berthed, among them tankers, ferries (lay-overs) and visiting naval ships.