Dublin Port remains the busiest port in the country handling over 6.4 million tonnes during the three-month period — a slight increase of 0.5% on last year. Shannon Foynes Port handled nearly 2.2 million tonnes — a 10% increase year-on-year.

The Port of Cork on the other hand managed 1.9 million tonnes — down from 2.26 million. Ports at Drogheda and Bantry Bay both recorded increases compared to last year while the port at Rosslare recorded a slight decrease in overall tonnage.

Last year, the Port of Cork Company reported a drop in overall annual traffic from 10.5 million tonnes to 9.5 million. While the company’s revenue remained consistent at €48.4m for the year, its profit dropped to €7.5m from €9.16m, reflecting increased interest charges and additional operational costs.

Of the total tonnage of goods managed by Irish ports over the three-month period, 8.2 million tonnes were goods received into Ireland, up 3% from last year, while 3.9 million tonnes were forwarded on to other ports, down 6%.

Britain and Northern Ireland accounted for 33% of the total amount of goods handled at Irish ports with EU countries accounting for 48%. Other non-EU countries accounted for 2.6%.

Between April and the end of June, the CSO said 2,958 vessels arrived in the seven main Irish ports compared with 3,036 last year. Dublin Port accounted for 61% of all vessel arrivals into Ireland. 

This data comes as Irish exports continue to do well growing by 8% during the first eight months of the year largely driven by a strong pharmaceutical and chemical sectors and a surge in trade with the US.

Ireland's unadjusted exports of goods rose by €1.2bn to €17.3bn compared with the same month in 2023. Exports of medical and pharmaceutical products grew by 20% to €8.2bn in August 2024 compared to the same period last year, accounting for 47% of total exports.

However, this offset a 10% drop in exports of organic chemicals, totalling €1.5bn in the same period.