Freight volumes are recovering

Dublin: Freight volumes are edging towards a recovery, according to the latest figures on Irish shipping and port traffic from the Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) for the first quarter of 2010.

The data noted a general easing in the rate of decline in freight volumes. IMDO estimates that two of the principal five freight segments measured indicated modest growth over this period. However, while the rate of decline has moderated, the overall recovery has been uneven both in the mode of transport and also the distribution of traffic around the island with larger gateway ports on average performing better than smaller regional ports.