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Irish Ports Stories
Invitation to Cork Harbour Summer School
The first Cork Harbour Summer School, hosted by Meitheal Mara, takes place on Friday 10 June at the Custom House Offices of the Port of Cork. The school, to be opened by Minister for the Marine Simon Coveney, will bring…
SeaFest Celebrates Donegal's Coastal Heritage
The shores of Lough Swilly in Co Donegal will come alive with sails at SeaFest 2011 from 1-3 July, celebrating the region's unique coastal environment. http://www.afloat.ie/sail/ The weekend begins on Friday 1 July with the launch of MalinWaters, a new…
Countdown to Name New Celtic Link 'Ferry'
Celtic Link Ferries are to introduce a new ship in October and the company are running a competition to name the vessel on the Rosslare-Cherbourg port route, writes Jehan Ashmore. The multi-million euro new vessel will offer a more extensive…
Shipping Volumes Up in First Quarter
First quarterly figures for 2011 show that volumes of shipping and port traffic on the majority of principal sectors grew, according to the Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO). The figures below outline a moderate trade volume growth in four out…
Foynes Prepares to Celebrate Commodores Day
Next Sunday, May 29, Commodore's Day will be celebrated at Foynes Yacht Club. This sailing day is very special in the annals of the Cooleen Point based club, because it has been celebrated for the last 49 years. Commodore Tom…
Dun Laoghaire Events in August
Dun Laoghaire will play host to two new and exciting events this coming August. The first annual Dublin Bay Taste & Music Fest takes place at the Peoples' Park from 26-28 August. Pitched as a 'back to basics' celebration of…
New Website for Cork Harbour
A new website for Cork Harbour has been launched at CorkHarbour.ie providing up-to-dae information for local residents and anyone who uses the harbour. The site features videos and photo galleries of habour life as well as links to groups and…
Dun Laoghaire Baths Plans to be Displayed
New plans for the Dun Laoghaire Baths are due to be displayed shortly in County Hall. Proposals for the project, which is estimated to cost up to €21 million, include the retention and refurbishment of the existing baths pavilion to…
Dublin Array Developer Applies for Foreshore Lease
A foreshore lease application has been lodged for a series of offshore windfarms in Dublin Bay. The Dublin Array, to be situated on the Bray and Kish Banks some 10km from the coast, would consist of 145 turbines, each 160m…
Cork Celebrates All Things Maritime at Ocean to City 2011
Ocean to City, Cork Harbour's annual maritime festival, takes place this year from 3-12 June. http://www.afloat.ie/port-news/cork-harbour-news/ The yearly celebration of Cork’s maritime history and its unique harbour begins on Friday 3 June when members of the public can voyage through…
Navies Northern Adventure Head for 'Foyle Days'
This weekend's 'Foyle Days' in the north-west city is set to welcome two offshore patrol vessels (OPV) the Naval Service LE Emer (P21) and the Royal Navy's HMS Severn (P 283), writes Jehan Ashmore. The maritime event includes a variety…
Former Soviet-Bloc Liner Continues Cruising
Cruising off the east coast of Leinster this evening is the veteran cruiseship Marco Polo which is bound for the Scilly Isles off Land's End, writes Jehan Ashmore. For those with an appreciation for the more traditional tiered deck profile…
Dublin to Manage Dundalk Port
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Mr. Leo Varadkar T.D. yesterday announced his intention to amalgamate Dundalk port with the capital port, writes Jehan Ashmore. Minister Varadkar said: 'It is with great regret that I have come to the conclusion…
Dun Laoghaire Sailing Clubs Say Future is in Leisure
Dun Laoghaire's future lies in tourism and leisure, according to a submission on the new 'master plan' for the busy harbour. http://www.afloat.ie/port-news/dun-laoghaire-news/ The Irish Times reports that the town's top sailing and yacht clubs, who have come together under the…
The Future’s Green, Bright and Orange
For nearly a week the cargo-ship Arklow Future has been berthed at the lead-in jetty to the only dry-dock facility in Dublin Port, writes Jehan Ashmore. She is one of the 9 'F' –class series within a fleet of 32…
Bangor Marina Flying 5 Gold Anchors
The Yacht Harbour Association has announced that Quay Marinas Bangor has been awarded 5 Gold Anchors for a fourth time, maintaining their high standards. Bangor marina is one of two 5 Gold Anchor marinas in Ireland, the other is Dun…

As an island economy, a healthy maritime sector is key to our national competitiveness. Virtually all our imports and exports pass through Irish ports.

Ireland is dependent on ports and shipping services to transport goods and 90% of our trade is moved though Irish ports. Shipping and maritime transport services make a significant contribution to Ireland’s ocean economy, with the sector generating €2.3 billion in turnover and employing over 5,000 people in 2018.

Ireland’s maritime industry continues to grow and progress each year with Irish ports and shipping companies making significant investments. The ports sector in Ireland is currently undergoing a number of expansions and developments with Dublin Port’s Alexandra Basin development, the development of Ringaskiddy in Cork by Port of Cork and the development of Shannon Foynes Port. Along with these major investments, shipping companies are also investing heavily in new tonnage, with Irish Ferries, CLdN and Stena leading new build programmes.

These pages cover the following sectoral areas: shipowners, harbour authorities, shipbrokers, freight forwarders and contractors, cruise liner operators, port users, seamen, merchants, academic institutions, shipyards and repair facilities, naval architects, navy and defence personnel.

Our pages are covering some of the most notable arrivals around our coast and reporting too on port development and shipping news.

This section of the site deals with Port and Shipping News on our largest ports Dublin Port, Port of Cork, the Shannon Estuary, Galway Harbour and Belfast Lough.

A recent study carried out for the Irish Ports Association (IPA) totalled 75.7 billion during 2004 and their net economic impact was some 5.5 billion supporting around 57, 500 full time employees.

Liam Lacey, Director of the Marine Institute’s Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) said, “The Irish maritime industry can look to the future with confidence. It has shown itself to be resilient and agile in responding to challenges. Over the past decade, it has had to respond to the challenges of the financial crisis of 2008, the uncertainty surrounding Brexit and recent challenges. Ireland’s maritime sector has continued to underpin our economy by maintaining vital shipping links for both trade and tourism.”