The volume of goods handled at Irish ports fell 18 per cent last year, according to the Central Statistics Office.
Almost 42 million tonnes of goods went through the ports in 2009, compared with just over 51 million in 2008. The volume of goods received fell 19.5 per cent, while goods being forwarded through the port decreased 14.5 per cent.
The number of vessels arriving at the ports also fell during the year, down 10.2 per cent to 13,233. Throughout the year, imports accounted for the majority of the total tonnage of goods handled, at 69.3 per cent, while exports accounted for 30.7 per cent.
The fall in traffic was across all sectors, with break bulk and other goods traffic declining 47.5 per cent in the year, roll-on/roll-off traffic falling 9.5 per cent, and lift-on/lift-off traffic by 15.6 per cent.
The substantial decline in bulk traffic can be attributed in part to the weakness in the construction industry, which contributes a significant amount to the sector.
In November last year, a CSO-hosted Business Statistics Seminar was told that the decline in break bulk shipping would hit regional ports particularly badly.
