Traffic through Irish ports have declined marginally in the third quarter of this year, according to the Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO).

The lastest figures from the IMDO, a government office which provides support to national and international maritime businesses, recorded that Roll-on and roll-off (Ro-Ro) traffic declined by 1% compared to the same period in 2021.

On routes between Ireland and mainland Europe, traffic on these direct routes was down 2% while traffic to ports in the UK was unchanged.

The shift to direct routes to the EU, which emerged following the end of the Brexit transition period that ended on 31 December 2020 "is so far holding firm" said the IMDO.

RTE News reports more on the trade figures including ferry passenger numbers.