As an island economy a healthy maritime sector is key to our national competitiveness. Virtually all our imports and exports pass through Irish ports. The ports are therefore a vital cog in our economy but they're also a great place to see some interesting ships. 86 cruise liners called to Dublin in 2010 and a similar number came to Cork, including some of the biggest in the world. 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.

We also post updates on Lighthouses, Cruise Liners, the Naval Service and coastal marinas.