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Irish Ports Stories
L.E. Emer’s Public Auction to Take Place in Carrigaline, Co. Cork
#AuctionEMER - Cork Auctioneer Dominic Daly is to handle the sale of the decommissioned Naval Service OPV L.E. Emer (P21) which is to be put up for public auction in a month's time, writes Jehan Ashmore. The auctioneer is to…
Irish Lights HQ To Welcome The Public For 'Open House Dublin'
#IrishLights - The headquarters of the Commissioners of Irish Lights in Dun Laoghaire is one of the 100 great buildings that will open to the public on the weekend of 4-6 October for Open House Dublin, the annual celebration of…
Ex-Officers Group Say Naval Service Should Take Part in UN and EU Missions
#NavalServiceRole – Patrol vessels of the Irish Naval Service should participate in UN- and EU-sponsored "international maritime security" missions, according to the Irish Maritime Forum. The State's fleet should also be expanded to match the size of New Zealand's navy,…
Dún Laoghaire ‘Urban Beach’ Artist impressions Published
#urbanbeach – Members of the public have five days left to share their views on a proposed new floating swimming pool and 'urban beach' facility for Dún Laoghaire Harbour. The facility is being developed by Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company as…
Port of Cork Signs Up to Atlantic Alliance Cruise Ship Destination Project
#atlanticalliance – The ATLANTIC ALLIANCE is a marketing project of 18 ports along Europe's West coast between Hamburg and Lisbon, including Britain and now an Irish port. The project highlights to cruise companies that there is in Europe an attractive…
Ports & Shipping Review: Ports Up 11%, Shortlist for EPSO Award,Short Sea Profit by 2020, Irish Ship May Reopen Channel Islands Service
#ShippingReview - Over the last fortnight Jehan Ashmore has reported from the shipping scene, where shipping and port activity rose up 11% in the second quarter of 2013 when compared to the corresponding period of 2012. Five European ports; Antwerp,…
Irish Flagged Cargoship Could Return to Open Proposed Channels Islands Service
#ChannelISLANDS – Following the demise of Huelin Renouf Shipping in August, a new UK based company is planning to replace the freight service between the Channel Islands. If implemented, the new shipping company, Channel Island Lines (CIL), will charter the…
Seatruck Ferries Gain MLC Compliance Certification
#SeatruckFerries – Irish Sea freight-only ro-ro operator Seatruck Ferries, whose ship management team have had a busy summer as an important new part of marine law has been rolled out. The Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 or MLC, 2006 is an…
Cruiseship Callers Near End of Season for Port of Cork
#CorkCruiseCallers – The Port of Cork cruise season is nearly over in a year that in total will welcome 60 cruise ships carrying in excess of 100,000 passengers and crew to the region, writes Jehan Ashmore. Today two cruiseships are…
L.E. Emer Heads Upriver of the Lee for Decommissioning Ceremony
#FarewellEMER – As previously reported, L.E. Emer (P21) of the Irish Naval Service which spent a career spanning more than 35 years, was decommissioned at a ceremony held in Cork City Quays today, writes Jehan Ashmore. The oldest vessel in…
Cargo Maritime Village Concept Launched for Dublin 4
The Irish Nautical Trust has announced plans for the creation of a 'Cargo Maritime Village' on Charlotte Quay, Grand Canal Basin in Dublin 4. The Irish Nautical Trust (established in 1986) has a dual mandate of preserving our national nautical…
LE Emer to Decommission After 36 Years Naval Service
#FarewellEMER – Irish Naval Service vessel LE Emer (P21) is being decommissioned from the service today after almost 36 years in use. The oldest vessel in the service, LE Emer was built in Verolme Cork Dockyard and was commissioned on…
Floating University Cruises To Dublin Port
#CruiseLiners - The 'floating university' MV Explorer is due to dock at Dublin Port tonight 20 September, according to The Irish Times. Last year the cruise liner, which operates as part of the University of Virginia's Semester at Sea study…
SFPC Welcomes 'Game-Changing' New Foynes Port-Limerick Road Scheme
#FoynesPort – Shannon Foynes Port Company CEO Pat Keating has described the procurement of engineering consultancy services for the Foynes to Limerick Road Improvement Scheme as a hugely significant moment in realising the enormous investment and employment potential of the…
Coast Guard Helicopter to Land in Dun Laoghaire During RNLI Open Day
#rnli – Dun Laoghaire Harbour will be busy with rescue activities this Sunday (22nd September) when the RNLI lifeboat station holds it's annual Public Open Day in a revised format that will offer plenty of family-friendly attractions. #rnli – Joining…
Cruise Passenger Numbers Visiting Ireland Could Quadruple Over Next Decade
#CruiseLiners - Cruise passenger numbers visiting Ireland could quadruple over the next decade if the right facilities are in place, an Oireachtas Joint Committee has heard. Chairwoman designate of the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company, Eithne Scott Lennon said the south…

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.”