Irish ports handled 45 million tonnes of cargo last year, a 9.2 per cent increase on the previous year, the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Dr Woods, has announced.

The Minister said he expected the figure to exceed 50 million tonnes before the millennium.

"As over 95 per cent of Irish exports go through our ports, sea borne trade is a barometer of economic prosperity," Dr Woods said. He added the number of people travelling by ferry increased by 300,000 to 4.7 million last year.