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Dublin Port News
The MV Shingle berthed in Dublin Port
RTÉ News has brought attention back to the fate of the MV Shingle, the vessel seized in a tobacco-smuggling sting in 2014 that has cost the Revenue Commissioners almost half a million euro since. Afloat.ie’s Jehan Ashmore reported on the…
Dublin Port’s Cruise Call Cutbacks ‘Will Have Catastrophic Effect On Industry’
Dublin Port’s decision to reduce cruise liner visits from 2021 has sparked concern among the wider tourism industry in Ireland. As covered last month on Afloat.ie, rising freight volumes and the need to create space due to Brexit will mean…
#dublinport - Celine, otherwise dubbed the Brexit-Buster following the giant ro-ro ship's christening ceremony almost a year ago in Dublin Port, is to be bolstered with additional sailings linking Ireland directly with mainland Europe. The operator of Celine, CLdN Ro-Ro…
New Dublin Port Customs Check Posts Will Be ‘Pinch Point’ Says CEO
New customs checkpoints in Dublin Port are expected to be a ‘pinch point’ for hauliers, according to the port company’s chief executive. Eamonn O'Reilly tells RTÉ News that delays are likely to result from the new border inspection posts as…
#dublinport - The Connaught Telegraph writes the Revenue Commissioners have offered a ship to be sunk in Killala Bay on the Mayo/Sligo border as part of a plan to attract divers to the area. The 60-metre MV Shingle won't cost…
Eamonn O’Reilly, chief executive of Dublin Port. Mr O’Reilly says Dublin Port will be prepared for a hard-Brexit and customs posts will be functioning for the March 29th deadline
#dublinport - At Dublin Port freight requiring physical checks after Brexit will, writes The Irish Times, be inspected in a warehouse formerly owned by businessman Harry Crosbie following an agreement signed by the State. As part of contingency planning for…
The Standard Club chooses Dublin (port above) for strong talent pool and proximity to UK, EU and US. The ship insurer generates about $290m of premiums annually.
#dublinport - Ship insurer Standard Club based in the UK, estimates that about 40% of its business will be written through its new Dublin unit, which has been set up to allow the business to continue to service customers in…
Seized products bagged in the joint operation by officials that took place in Dublin Port
#dublinport - In a joint operation between the Department of Agriculture and Revenue Customs, FarmIreland writes of seized illegal meat at Dublin Port that took place recently. Some 3.7t of various meat products were seized as they did not comply with…
Dundalk Port lies close to the border with Northern Ireland
Dublin Port Company has issued a Notice to Mariners with regard to standard operating procedures or vessels entering, moving within and departing Dundalk Port. The Co Louth port lies on the other side of the Cooley Peninsula from the border…
Rinn Voyager at the Dublin Tall Ships Festival on the River Liffey
Two of my favourite waterside places along the Liffey are in Dublin Port – Ringsend and Poolbeg. The maritime history of Ringsend is part of the marine story of Ireland, an area resonant of seafaring history and Poolbeg Yacht and…
Across the Liffey in a jiffy: the “dockers’ taxi” is back in service after 35 years
As Afloat.ie reported earlier, the No.11 Liffey Ferry aka the “dockers’ taxi” is back in service after 35 years following a restoration project involving Richie Saunders of Ringsend, the Irish Nautical Trust, Dublin Port Company and Dublin City Council. It…
Times past: The last Liffey ferry service crossing took place in 1984 when above the ferry is seen heading to the North Wall and where along this quay now stands the National Convention Centre which is a dominate landmark on the waterside.  The ferry officially reopens service next month. AFLOAT also adds that another ferry, the 'Liffey Flyer' service did operate previously (albeit for just two years) until the Samuel Beckett Bridge opened almost a decade ago in December 2009.
#dublinport -  In Dublin’s Docklands, the historic No.11 Liffey Ferry otherwise known as the 'Dockers' ferry will today officially return to the capital’s waters after a 35-year absence. The much-loved service that linked the north and south docks is to…
2018 was the fourth successive record year for trade at Dublin Port
Dublin Port Company has today reported full-year trading figures for 2018. The latest figures show that cargo volumes through Dublin Port hit record levels for the fourth year in a row with growth of 4.3% to reach a new record…
#ShannonEstuary - The port of Shannon Foynes writes The Irish Times, could take any post-Brexit strain off Irish east coast ports should Border checks lead to congestion, its chief executive has said. Pat Keating, chief executive of Shannon Foynes Port…
#DublinPort- Dublin Port, the country’s largest and busiest sea port,was only asked by the Department of Transport for details of its contingency plans to deal with a hard Brexit just over a month ago. As The Irish Times writes, almost…
#DublinPort - A major operator in Dublin Port, Stena Line has set a new company record for freight on its service to Holyhead, carrying a total of over 250,000 units in 2018. The milestone was achieved today, when Patrick van…

About Dublin Port 

Dublin Port is Ireland’s largest and busiest port with approximately 17,000 vessel movements per year. As well as being the country’s largest port, Dublin Port has the highest rate of growth and, in the seven years to 2019, total cargo volumes grew by 36.1%.

The vision of Dublin Port Company is to have the required capacity to service the needs of its customers and the wider economy safely, efficiently and sustainably. Dublin Port will integrate with the City by enhancing the natural and built environments. The Port is being developed in line with Masterplan 2040.

Dublin Port Company is currently investing about €277 million on its Alexandra Basin Redevelopment (ABR), which is due to be complete by 2021. The redevelopment will improve the port's capacity for large ships by deepening and lengthening 3km of its 7km of berths. The ABR is part of a €1bn capital programme up to 2028, which will also include initial work on the Dublin Port’s MP2 Project - a major capital development project proposal for works within the existing port lands in the northeastern part of the port.

Dublin Port has also recently secured planning approval for the development of the next phase of its inland port near Dublin Airport. The latest stage of the inland port will include a site with the capacity to store more than 2,000 shipping containers and infrastructures such as an ESB substation, an office building and gantry crane.

Dublin Port Company recently submitted a planning application for a €320 million project that aims to provide significant additional capacity at the facility within the port in order to cope with increases in trade up to 2040. The scheme will see a new roll-on/roll-off jetty built to handle ferries of up to 240 metres in length, as well as the redevelopment of an oil berth into a deep-water container berth.

Dublin Port FAQ

Dublin was little more than a monastic settlement until the Norse invasion in the 8th and 9th centuries when they selected the Liffey Estuary as their point of entry to the country as it provided relatively easy access to the central plains of Ireland. Trading with England and Europe followed which required port facilities, so the development of Dublin Port is inextricably linked to the development of Dublin City, so it is fair to say the origins of the Port go back over one thousand years. As a result, the modern organisation Dublin Port has a long and remarkable history, dating back over 300 years from 1707.

The original Port of Dublin was situated upriver, a few miles from its current location near the modern Civic Offices at Wood Quay and close to Christchurch Cathedral. The Port remained close to that area until the new Custom House opened in the 1790s. In medieval times Dublin shipped cattle hides to Britain and the continent, and the returning ships carried wine, pottery and other goods.

510 acres. The modern Dublin Port is located either side of the River Liffey, out to its mouth. On the north side of the river, the central part (205 hectares or 510 acres) of the Port lies at the end of East Wall and North Wall, from Alexandra Quay.

Dublin Port Company is a State-owned commercial company responsible for operating and developing Dublin Port.

Dublin Port Company is a self-financing, and profitable private limited company wholly-owned by the State, whose business is to manage Dublin Port, Ireland's premier Port. Established as a corporate entity in 1997, Dublin Port Company is responsible for the management, control, operation and development of the Port.

Captain William Bligh (of Mutiny of the Bounty fame) was a visitor to Dublin in 1800, and his visit to the capital had a lasting effect on the Port. Bligh's study of the currents in Dublin Bay provided the basis for the construction of the North Wall. This undertaking led to the growth of Bull Island to its present size.

Yes. Dublin Port is the largest freight and passenger port in Ireland. It handles almost 50% of all trade in the Republic of Ireland.

All cargo handling activities being carried out by private sector companies operating in intensely competitive markets within the Port. Dublin Port Company provides world-class facilities, services, accommodation and lands in the harbour for ships, goods and passengers.

Eamonn O'Reilly is the Dublin Port Chief Executive.

Capt. Michael McKenna is the Dublin Port Harbour Master

In 2019, 1,949,229 people came through the Port.

In 2019, there were 158 cruise liner visits.

In 2019, 9.4 million gross tonnes of exports were handled by Dublin Port.

In 2019, there were 7,898 ship arrivals.

In 2019, there was a gross tonnage of 38.1 million.

In 2019, there were 559,506 tourist vehicles.

There were 98,897 lorries in 2019

Boats can navigate the River Liffey into Dublin by using the navigational guidelines. Find the guidelines on this page here.

VHF channel 12. Commercial vessels using Dublin Port or Dun Laoghaire Port typically have a qualified pilot or certified master with proven local knowledge on board. They "listen out" on VHF channel 12 when in Dublin Port's jurisdiction.

A Dublin Bay webcam showing the south of the Bay at Dun Laoghaire and a distant view of Dublin Port Shipping is here
Dublin Port is creating a distributed museum on its lands in Dublin City.
 A Liffey Tolka Project cycle and pedestrian way is the key to link the elements of this distributed museum together.  The distributed museum starts at the Diving Bell and, over the course of 6.3km, will give Dubliners a real sense of the City, the Port and the Bay.  For visitors, it will be a unique eye-opening stroll and vista through and alongside one of Europe’s busiest ports:  Diving Bell along Sir John Rogerson’s Quay over the Samuel Beckett Bridge, past the Scherzer Bridge and down the North Wall Quay campshire to Berth 18 - 1.2 km.   Liffey Tolka Project - Tree-lined pedestrian and cycle route between the River Liffey and the Tolka Estuary - 1.4 km with a 300-metre spur along Alexandra Road to The Pumphouse (to be completed by Q1 2021) and another 200 metres to The Flour Mill.   Tolka Estuary Greenway - Construction of Phase 1 (1.9 km) starts in December 2020 and will be completed by Spring 2022.  Phase 2 (1.3 km) will be delivered within the following five years.  The Pumphouse is a heritage zone being created as part of the Alexandra Basin Redevelopment Project.  The first phase of 1.6 acres will be completed in early 2021 and will include historical port equipment and buildings and a large open space for exhibitions and performances.  It will be expanded in a subsequent phase to incorporate the Victorian Graving Dock No. 1 which will be excavated and revealed. 
 The largest component of the distributed museum will be The Flour Mill.  This involves the redevelopment of the former Odlums Flour Mill on Alexandra Road based on a masterplan completed by Grafton Architects to provide a mix of port operational uses, a National Maritime Archive, two 300 seat performance venues, working and studio spaces for artists and exhibition spaces.   The Flour Mill will be developed in stages over the remaining twenty years of Masterplan 2040 alongside major port infrastructure projects.

Source: Dublin Port Company ©Afloat 2020.