Port company seeks public input on expansion plans

THE Dublin Port Company has launched a comprehensive public consultation process aimed at devising a “masterplan” for its expansion and development over the next 30 years.

In that time, the company claims that — even based on the most conservative estimates — it will need to double its capacity in order to handle 60 million tonnes of cargo per year and that “vital national infrastructure” is necessary to ensure the future competitiveness and economic growth of the country’s main port.

Already, Dublin Port accounts for the transportation of more than half of all goods imported into Ireland every year and is approaching capacity constraints. No additional land capacity has been added to the Port in the past 30 years, in which time the volume of goods travelling through it has quadrupled.