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Dublin Port News
Jennifer Coughlan of the UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science at the deployment of habitat units along the Great South Wall at Dublin Port
Dublin Port Company (DPC), in collaboration with University College Dublin (UCD), proudly announces a groundbreaking initiative aimed at enhancing biodiversity along the Great South Wall. This innovative project marks a significant milestone in the realm of eco-engineering, setting a new…
Manx flagged catamaran Manannan of the Isle of Man Steam Packet is set to return to seasonal service, among them Dublin-Douglas route duties, but not until a safety inspection is carried out by Irish marine authorities as the fast-ferry is in the Irish capital today.
Observed entering Dublin Bay this morning was the Isle of Man Steam Packet’s Manannan, having departed Douglas Harbour, but the fast-ferry was not in service, writes Jehan Ashmore. The reason for the call by the 98m catamaran craft to Dublin…
The Ocean Protector is one of three EFCA offshore patrol vessels (OPVs)
An offshore patrol vessel with the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) has berthed in Dublin to mark the 20th anniversary of the North Western Waters Advisory Council and the Pelagic Advisory Council. The Ocean Protector is one of three EFCA…
Artist Aidan Hickey with his piece The Custom House, 1842, featuring in Shorelines, an exhibition at The Substation at Dublin Port chronicling the varied seascapes of Dublin
Shorelines, a vibrant new exhibition chronicling the varied seascapes of Dublin, will come to The Substation at Dublin Port, courtesy of the Dublin Painting and Sketching Club (DPSC) and Dublin Port Company (DPC). The exhibition will contain brand-new works from…
Irish dancing sensations The Gardiner Brothers Michael and Matthew pictured with Stephen Butterly, Head of Fundraising at Aware, sponsor Barry O’Connell, CEO at Dublin Port Company, Richard Tierney, CEO at St Patrick’s Festival and joined by Bobbi (age 7) and Jude (age 4) Close from Castleknock at the launch of the 17th annual Aware Harbour2Harbour Walk which takes place on St. Patrick’s Day, Sunday 17th March. An official event of St Patrick’s Festival, over 2,500 enthusiastic walkers are expected to take on the 26km challenge, with the option of starting from Howth Harbour or Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Participants can also enjoy refreshments and entertainment at the ‘Halfway Hooley’ hosted by sponsor Dublin Port Company at their historic Pumphouse. This event will help raise vital funds to ensure Aware can continue to support people impacted by depression and bipolar disorder all over Ireland. Register now at www.aware.ie
Irish dancing sensations ‘The Gardiner Brothers’ today launched the 17th annual Aware Harbour2Harbour Walk which will take place on St. Patrick’s Day, Sunday 17th March. An official event partner of St. Patrick’s Festival, the charity expects over 2,500 enthusiastic walkers…
RMS Veritas arriving in Dublin Port on 28 January 2021
Likening proposals for moving Dublin Port out of the capital to changes at other European ports is “misleading” and “not an apples-to-apples comparison”, argues Trinity urbanism professor Philip Lawton. Writing in the Business Post, Prof Lawton notes how the “pet…
Christmas comes early to (l-r) Cormac Kennedy, Head of Commercial at Dublin Port Company, Alan Horner, General Manager at CMA CGM Shipping Ireland and Max Doyle, Director, Doyle Shipping Group Dublin
Dublin Port Company (DPC) has today announced that it has granted a new operating licence to CMA CGM Inland Services (CCIS), a subsidiary of CMA CGM Group, to begin operating at Dublin Inland Port. CCIS is one of the world’s…
Seatruck Ferries will further develop their Dublin-UK services as part of this new shared freight terminal agreement at Dublin Port
Dublin Port Company (DPC) has today announced the outcome of the selection process that will see Terminal 5 in Dublin Port licensed to Stena Line and Seatruck Ferries. Stena Line will operate a new Dublin-Birkenhead (Liverpool) service while Seatruck Ferries…
Gear up for Christmas at the Great South Wall! Zane Blount-Ronan (13, left) and Eamon McElroy, Port Engineer at Dublin Port Company, take advantage of the new bike racks at the Great South Wall, which allow walkers a more sustainable point of access to one of the longest sea walls in Europe. The Great South Wall attracts over 300,000 visitors annually
Dublin Port Company (DPC) is pleased to unveil a set of bicycle racks that have been recently installed at the Great South Wall to support the growing number of people who are accessing the popular location by bike. This new…
Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithí de Róiste launches Solidarity: The Dockers of Dublin Port, alongside (left to right) Sarah Clancy, Chief Executive of the Little Museum of Dublin, Dublin Port Heritage Director Lar Joye, Dr Rhona Mahony, chair of the Little Museum of Dublin and Barry O’Connell, Chief Executive of Dublin Port Company.
Dublin Port Company has proudly welcomed ‘Solidarity: The Dockers of Dublin Port’, a compelling exhibition curated by The Little Museum of Dublin, to its Substation for a three-month stay. The first-ever exhibition at the Substation, Dublin’s latest cultural hub, was…
Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris TD  (right) with Megan Pepper, a graduate of the Dublin Port-based Construction Skills course, and Barry O’Connell, Chief Executive at Dublin Port, celebrate the course crossing a milestone of 1,000 graduates since its inception in 2017
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD was at Dublin Port’s Substation today to mark the Dublin Construction Skills and Retrofitting Programme crossing 1,000 graduates. The Port-based three-week course, which St Andrew’s Resource Centre…
FMinister of State Jack Chambers, TD (left) and Barry O’Connell, CEO of Dublin Port Company, launch T4, a new €127m freight terminal, at Dublin Port
Dublin Port Company (DPC) has announced the opening of T4, a newly redeveloped RoRo freight terminal in the Port costing €127m, which was officially launched on Tuesday, November 07th by the Minister of State, Jack Chambers, TD. Self-financed by DPC…
A chartered crane-ship, Lara 1 from Liverpool, was last week in Dublin Port, as Calorgas required the specialist heavy-lift vessel to lift and install at the port’s oil zone a new Marine Loading Arm (MLA). The structure was installed at the East Oil Jetty, No. 3 berth, where the tanker, second nearest is alongside the far side of the jetty.
Last week Afloat reported the arrival to Dublin Port of the crane-ship Lara 1 which presented an unusual sight as the vessel based in Liverpool, had carried out operations on this side of the Irish Sea, writes Jehan Ashmore. As…
Edel Currie, Community Engagement Manager at Dublin Port Company, watches on as kids from St. Joseph's Co-Ed School, East Wall and St. Patrick’s Girls National School, Ringsend, get serious about Port Safety for Dublin Port Company’s colouring competition as part of Port Safety Week 2023. Dublin Port Company is delighted to have the assistance and support of the Road Safety Authority, An Garda Síochána, Dublin Fire Brigade, the Irish Coast Guard, the RNLI and other services for a bumper calendar of events across the week.
As part of the third annual Irish Port Safety Week, Dublin Port Company welcomed over 100 children from St Patrick’s Girls’ National School, Ringsend, and St. Joseph’s Co-ed Primary School, East Wall, to the Pumphouse for a Colouring Competition Award…
Michael McKenna, Dublin Port Harbourmaster and Barry O’Connell, Dublin Port Company CEO joined the Dublin Port EHS Team to launch Port Safety Week 2023. This edition of the week sees Dublin Port Company team up with An Garda Siochána, the HSA, the RSA, Dublin Fire Brigade, the Irish Coast Guard and the RNLI to highlight a collective awareness and responsibility for health and safety around the Port estate
Dublin Port Company (DPC) proudly kicked off the third annual Irish Port Safety Week at its Substation today. DPC has joined the other Port Authorities of Ireland to host and promote the initiative, which runs from October 23rd to 27th.…
Dublin Port Company: We’re Hiring
Dublin Port Company is inviting applications for the position of Marine Operative on a full-time basis. This role will include all aspects of Marine Operative work within Dublin Port, which operates VTS, pilotage and tug service 24/7, all year round…

About Dublin Port 

Dublin Port is Ireland’s largest and busiest port with approximately 17,000 vessel movements per year. As well as being the country’s largest port, Dublin Port has the highest rate of growth and, in the seven years to 2019, total cargo volumes grew by 36.1%.

The vision of Dublin Port Company is to have the required capacity to service the needs of its customers and the wider economy safely, efficiently and sustainably. Dublin Port will integrate with the City by enhancing the natural and built environments. The Port is being developed in line with Masterplan 2040.

Dublin Port Company is currently investing about €277 million on its Alexandra Basin Redevelopment (ABR), which is due to be complete by 2021. The redevelopment will improve the port's capacity for large ships by deepening and lengthening 3km of its 7km of berths. The ABR is part of a €1bn capital programme up to 2028, which will also include initial work on the Dublin Port’s MP2 Project - a major capital development project proposal for works within the existing port lands in the northeastern part of the port.

Dublin Port has also recently secured planning approval for the development of the next phase of its inland port near Dublin Airport. The latest stage of the inland port will include a site with the capacity to store more than 2,000 shipping containers and infrastructures such as an ESB substation, an office building and gantry crane.

Dublin Port Company recently submitted a planning application for a €320 million project that aims to provide significant additional capacity at the facility within the port in order to cope with increases in trade up to 2040. The scheme will see a new roll-on/roll-off jetty built to handle ferries of up to 240 metres in length, as well as the redevelopment of an oil berth into a deep-water container berth.

Dublin Port FAQ

Dublin was little more than a monastic settlement until the Norse invasion in the 8th and 9th centuries when they selected the Liffey Estuary as their point of entry to the country as it provided relatively easy access to the central plains of Ireland. Trading with England and Europe followed which required port facilities, so the development of Dublin Port is inextricably linked to the development of Dublin City, so it is fair to say the origins of the Port go back over one thousand years. As a result, the modern organisation Dublin Port has a long and remarkable history, dating back over 300 years from 1707.

The original Port of Dublin was situated upriver, a few miles from its current location near the modern Civic Offices at Wood Quay and close to Christchurch Cathedral. The Port remained close to that area until the new Custom House opened in the 1790s. In medieval times Dublin shipped cattle hides to Britain and the continent, and the returning ships carried wine, pottery and other goods.

510 acres. The modern Dublin Port is located either side of the River Liffey, out to its mouth. On the north side of the river, the central part (205 hectares or 510 acres) of the Port lies at the end of East Wall and North Wall, from Alexandra Quay.

Dublin Port Company is a State-owned commercial company responsible for operating and developing Dublin Port.

Dublin Port Company is a self-financing, and profitable private limited company wholly-owned by the State, whose business is to manage Dublin Port, Ireland's premier Port. Established as a corporate entity in 1997, Dublin Port Company is responsible for the management, control, operation and development of the Port.

Captain William Bligh (of Mutiny of the Bounty fame) was a visitor to Dublin in 1800, and his visit to the capital had a lasting effect on the Port. Bligh's study of the currents in Dublin Bay provided the basis for the construction of the North Wall. This undertaking led to the growth of Bull Island to its present size.

Yes. Dublin Port is the largest freight and passenger port in Ireland. It handles almost 50% of all trade in the Republic of Ireland.

All cargo handling activities being carried out by private sector companies operating in intensely competitive markets within the Port. Dublin Port Company provides world-class facilities, services, accommodation and lands in the harbour for ships, goods and passengers.

Eamonn O'Reilly is the Dublin Port Chief Executive.

Capt. Michael McKenna is the Dublin Port Harbour Master

In 2019, 1,949,229 people came through the Port.

In 2019, there were 158 cruise liner visits.

In 2019, 9.4 million gross tonnes of exports were handled by Dublin Port.

In 2019, there were 7,898 ship arrivals.

In 2019, there was a gross tonnage of 38.1 million.

In 2019, there were 559,506 tourist vehicles.

There were 98,897 lorries in 2019

Boats can navigate the River Liffey into Dublin by using the navigational guidelines. Find the guidelines on this page here.

VHF channel 12. Commercial vessels using Dublin Port or Dun Laoghaire Port typically have a qualified pilot or certified master with proven local knowledge on board. They "listen out" on VHF channel 12 when in Dublin Port's jurisdiction.

A Dublin Bay webcam showing the south of the Bay at Dun Laoghaire and a distant view of Dublin Port Shipping is here
Dublin Port is creating a distributed museum on its lands in Dublin City.
 A Liffey Tolka Project cycle and pedestrian way is the key to link the elements of this distributed museum together.  The distributed museum starts at the Diving Bell and, over the course of 6.3km, will give Dubliners a real sense of the City, the Port and the Bay.  For visitors, it will be a unique eye-opening stroll and vista through and alongside one of Europe’s busiest ports:  Diving Bell along Sir John Rogerson’s Quay over the Samuel Beckett Bridge, past the Scherzer Bridge and down the North Wall Quay campshire to Berth 18 - 1.2 km.   Liffey Tolka Project - Tree-lined pedestrian and cycle route between the River Liffey and the Tolka Estuary - 1.4 km with a 300-metre spur along Alexandra Road to The Pumphouse (to be completed by Q1 2021) and another 200 metres to The Flour Mill.   Tolka Estuary Greenway - Construction of Phase 1 (1.9 km) starts in December 2020 and will be completed by Spring 2022.  Phase 2 (1.3 km) will be delivered within the following five years.  The Pumphouse is a heritage zone being created as part of the Alexandra Basin Redevelopment Project.  The first phase of 1.6 acres will be completed in early 2021 and will include historical port equipment and buildings and a large open space for exhibitions and performances.  It will be expanded in a subsequent phase to incorporate the Victorian Graving Dock No. 1 which will be excavated and revealed. 
 The largest component of the distributed museum will be The Flour Mill.  This involves the redevelopment of the former Odlums Flour Mill on Alexandra Road based on a masterplan completed by Grafton Architects to provide a mix of port operational uses, a National Maritime Archive, two 300 seat performance venues, working and studio spaces for artists and exhibition spaces.   The Flour Mill will be developed in stages over the remaining twenty years of Masterplan 2040 alongside major port infrastructure projects.

Source: Dublin Port Company ©Afloat 2020.