More Irish-British trade diverted via N.Ireland post-Brexit -port boss Reuters 2 hrs ago
DUBLIN, April 19 (Reuters) - More firms are shipping goods between Ireland and Britain via Northern Ireland to avoid post-Brexit red tape and delays, the head of Dublin Port said on Monday, describing it as a worrying and potentially permanent development.
The introduction of checks on some goods since neighbouring Britain left the European Union s trading orbit on Dec. 31 has led to a sharp fall in trade between the two countries and a big increase in shipping routes from Ireland to mainland Europe.
However the chief executive of Dublin Port said some cargo is also being diverted through British-run Northern Ireland. Ireland s largest port reported a 29% year-on-year drop in trade volumes between Ireland and Britain in the first quarter.
BBC News
By John Campbell
Published
image captionTrade in goods between Ireland and Great Britain is now more difficult due to Brexit checks
Trade through Dublin Port in the first quarter of 2021 fell by more than 15% compared to the same period last year.
The port s chief executive Eamonn O Reilly said this was mainly due to Brexit.
Trade in goods between Ireland and Great Britain is now more difficult due to Brexit-induced checks and administration.
Mr O Reilly said it was too early to assess whether the declines in trade seen so far in 2021 will persist.
There were also some pandemic-related impacts on the port s performance: due to continuing reduced transport demand, bulk imports of petrol products were down by 23% year-on-year.
Updated / Monday, 19 Apr 2021
10:04
Dublin Port Company s trade volumes fell by 15.2% in the first three months of 2021
Brexit trigged a major reduction in cargo volumes at Dublin Port in the first quarter of this year, while Covid-19 also hit passenger numbers.
The Dublin Port Company said today that its trade volumes fell by 15.2% in the first three months of 2021.
The main driver was a decline in freight from British ports, which fell by 29% to 160,000 units.
In contrast, trade with EU ports rose by 18% to 158,000 units.
The company said that imports in the three months from January to March fell by 14.4% to 4.7 million gross tonnes and exports declined by 16.6% to 3.1 million gross tonnes.
By Reuters Staff
2 Min Read
FILE PHOTO: A murmuration of Light-bellied Brent Geese fly over Dublin Port at sunset to settle on Sandymount Strand for the night, in Dublin, Ireland February 21, 2021. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne
DUBLIN (Reuters) - More firms are shipping goods between Ireland and Britain via Northern Ireland to avoid post-Brexit red tape and delays, the head of Dublin Port said on Monday, describing it as a “worrying” and potentially permanent development.
The introduction of checks on some goods since neighbouring Britain left the European Union’s trading orbit on Dec. 31 has led to a sharp fall in trade between the two countries and a big increase in shipping routes from Ireland to mainland Europe.