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IMDO Unitised Traffic Report Q4 2023

In Q4 2023, unitised traffic at ports on the island of Ireland displayed resilience amid challenging economic conditions. RoRo traffic in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) declined by 2% to 289,971 units, marking the first sub-290,000 performance in five years, primarily due to the cessation of the P&O Dublin-Liverpool service. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland's RoRo volumes grew by 4% to 222,740 units, with overall island-wide RoRo traffic rising 1% year-on-year to 512,711 units. Dublin Port saw a 5% decline, while Rosslare Europort grew 12%, driven by a shift toward direct ROI-EU routes post-Brexit. LoLo traffic at ROI ports rebounded with a 5% increase to 278,850 TEUs, reversing a year of steep declines. Despite stagnation in overall unitised traffic amid inflation, rising interest rates, and global economic pressures, the sector retained much of the gains from the COVID-19 trade surge, highlighting its underlying resilience.