Galway port turns corner with big rise in business

Galway Docks is the best performing port in the country so far this year, according to new figures which show cargo traffic is up 12%.

It’s the first time there has been an increase in imports and exports recorded in Galway, since the collapse of the economy in 2007.

The welcome boost in trade comes as the finishing touches are put on a planning application for the €200 million redevelopment of Galway Port – which will be lodged with An Bord Pleanála by the end of September.

Eamon Bradshaw, Chief Executive of Galway Harbour Company told the Galway City Tribune that the increase in cargo traffic comes as a result of “hard work on marketing the business”.

Trade through the port had been down a massive 40% since 2007.

“We’ve turned a corner, and that’s great news. To some degree, we had to look a lot harder for business and put more into marketing. Granular limestone is big business at the moment, with exports to Scotland and Scandinavia – by the end of July, the figure was at nearly 27,000 tonnes.

“On the steel side, exports of scrap have doubled from 12,000 tonnes to 24,000 tonnes, while imports of steel are also up. This indicates a bigger demand, and hopefully a renewed demand in the construction sector.

“Oil and oil-type imports are up 27,000 tonnes on the end of July last year, and coal has come back for the first time since 2011,” said Mr Bradshaw.

He said the business is set to continue to grow, with further commodities set to be trafficked through the port.

“We will have two more commodities coming on board in September and later in the year for export, and a new import too.

“It’s the first time since 2007 that we’ve increased traffic, and that increase would probably put us at Number 1 in the country in terms of increases.

“We dropped about 40% since 2007 – that was linked to the building industry collapse. Trading conditions were obviously difficult, because import and export was our core business, and that had to be subsidised by carparking and rental income,” said Mr Bradshaw.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.