Port of Cork chairman, John Mullins, and Harbour Master, captain Paul O’Regan, are calling 2018 a year of increased activity. Cobh has seen a growing popularity of as a cruise destination, but it is just one of many areas of activity for the busy port.
Across its four different locations -Tivoli, Ringaskiddy, Cobh and the City Quays- a team of around 150 staff keep the port operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, driving the import and export of goods consumed and manufactured right across the island of Ireland. The unusual weather in spring and early summer helped contribute to the port’s bumper year, with a 30% increase in bulk cargo.
“Our biggest area of growth this year has been around animal feed, particularly because of the issues in early summer,” Mullins explains.
In total, close to 1 million tonnes of bulk product will be handled by the port this year, primarily at Ringaskiddy. Another significant import comes courtesy of the weekly visit by the enormous Maersk ship, travelling from South America. It brings with it fresh fruit for distribution around the country, with bananas one of the largest regular deliveries.
As the main handler of container traffic, Tivoli is also experiencing growth, with a 6% increase this year. “Our staff in the container terminal work 24/7,” Capt O’Regan says. “We will put something in the region of 2,500 containers a week through Tivoli and roughly 600 trucks a day call there. It is an extremely busy area.”
Source: eveningecho.ie
