Dublin Port Company has today reported full year trading figures for 2019. The latest figures show a growth in unitised volumes (Ro-Ro and Lo-Lo combined) of +3.6% to 1.5 million units. Over the six years since the economic recovery began in 2013, unitised trade has grown by +41.3%.
The continued strength in unitised growth was, however, offset by a large one-off decline in Bulk Solid commodities and, as a result, overall tonnage growth for the year was just +0.4%.
Looking at the 2019 trade figures in detail, containers and freight trailers accounted for 83% of all cargo and both the Ro-Ro and Lo-Lo sectors grew strongly:
Ro-Ro grew by +2.6% in 2019 to 1.1m Ro-Ro units (1,059,103)
Lo-Lo container volumes grew by +6.5% to 774,000 TEU and have now, 12 years later, finally surpassed the pre-recession level of 2007
Imports of new trade vehicles through Dublin Port decreased by -4.4% to 99,000 during 2019.
Bulk liquid volumes, comprising mostly petroleum products, grew by 0.9% to 4.7m tonnes driven by increasing activity in the road transport and aviation sectors. Petroleum imports through Dublin Port are now 14.4% higher than they were in 2007.
Bulk solid commodities declined by 23.4% to 1.8m tonnes due, firstly, to 2018 having been an exceptionally strong year for agri-feed imports and, secondly, because of the cessation of exports from Boliden Tara Mines for a four-month period while major construction works in Alexandra Basin were proceeding. These works are now complete, and exports of lead and zinc ore concentrates have fully resumed. These two factors also reduced the number of ship arrivals in 2019 by 71 down to 7,898.
Ferry passenger volumes increased by +6.7% to 1,949,000. Similarly, the number of tourist vehicles increased by 9.9 % to 560,000.
Dublin Port’s cruise business grew again with 158 cruise ship arrivals (compared to 150 in 2018) and growth of +16.7% in visitor numbers. The average size of cruise ship increased yet again reaching 55,648 gross tonnes in 2018, an increase of +11.1% compared to the previous year.