Rosslare Europort makes history in 2021, becoming Ireland’s number one port for direct European freight

25 Jan 2022

Rosslare Europort ended 2021 as Ireland’s number one port for direct RoRo / Pax services to Europe, a year which also saw the highest ever activity through the County Wexford port.

Despite the challenges of both COVID-19 and Brexit, the history-making year saw over 184,891 RoRo freight units through the port in 2021.

With 30 direct services now operating weekly between Rosslare and Europe, there was an increase of 94,477 freight units (+371 percent) on European direct routes in 2021 with 119,927 units carried.

UK routes which have 56 services a week saw a decrease of -32,926 of freight units (-34 percent) and remain challenging as the implications, additional cost and time of Brexit are embedded into the supply chain.

Overall combined freight at the port grew by 50 percent representing the highest yearly growth in the port’s history and demonstrating the national importance of Rosslare Europort as a key connection for freight and passenger services to the UK and Europe.

Passenger volumes at the port, while suppressed over the past two years as a result of COVID-19, also grew significantly with 243,303 passengers (+68 percent increase) travelling through the port in 2021.

Rosslare Europort Freight and Passenger Volumes 2021 v 2020

RoRo Freight Units	2021	2020	Unit Difference	Difference Percentage
European	119,927	25,450	+94,477	+371%
UK	64,890	97,890	-35,926	-34%
Combined	184,891	123,340	+61,551	+50%

Passenger	2021	2020	Unit Difference	Difference Percentage
European	51,272	28,889	+21,383	+72%
UK	192,031	114,793	+77,238	+67%
Combined	243,303	144,682	+98,621	+68%

Commenting on the overall performance at the port, Glenn Carr, General Manager said:

“It’s been a really tremendous performance by Rosslare Europort in 2021 and I am delighted that the plans we put in place over the last few years are yielding such positive results.
It’s a great credit to all the colleagues who work at the port, our shipping partners, stakeholders and of course our customers who have helped in the positive transformation that we are now seeing.
The substantial increase in volume at the port clearly demonstrates the shift in demand for services out of Rosslare from other hubs, we are the closest port to Europe and easily accessible to all major cities and industrial sites throughout Ireland.
As major ports such as Dublin grapple with future constraints and congestion, Rosslare Europort will be further developed to help alleviate these challenges and offer real viable, efficient and sustainable alternative services and connectivity for the greater good of the wider economy.
Our plans have been strongly endorsed and supported by the Iarnród Éireann Board which has enabled significant investment in infrastructure, services and resources. This will ensure the development of Rosslare Europort as a key generator of economic activity for the region and country.
I look forward to 2022 as we further grow services, including significant growth in passenger demand, aligned with trends in favour of more sustainable tourism.
It will also see the next phase of our exciting plans, with the most significant investment ever in the port with the commencement of our masterplan build, the digitalisation of the port, new infrastructure for customs and border control and the commencement of a series of work packages to secure planning for the future Offshore Renewable Energy facility (Project REORE) at the port from 2025.”