'Bumper' first year of operations for Port of Cork's terminal in Ringaskiddy 

MORE than 90,000 containers were loaded and discharged at the Port of Cork Company’s (PoCC) new Cork Container Terminal (CCT) in Ringaskiddy, in what a spokesperson for the company described as a “bumper” first year of operation.

The state-of-the-art facility, which is the result of a €94 million investment, became operational in April 2022.

Since then, 46,932 containers have been discharged, while 48,282 containers were loaded onto a total of 340 ships, with an average of 280 containers loaded and discharged per ship.

Earlier this year, the PoCC launched its Port of Cork Masterplan 2050, which plans for further development of the CCT site.

The plan highlights the importance of the delivery of the M28, which it says will enable further relocation of PoCC’s activities from Tivoli Docks to Ringaskiddy and unlock significant port capacity in the lower harbour.

The Port of Cork says it is currently operating at 50% capacity until the completion of the M28.

Supporting the accelerated growth of the fixed offshore renewable energy (ORE) sector is another important component of the masterplan, which charts a course to a new sustainable and secure future for the port.

“The launch of CCT last year was a hugely important milestone for the Port of Cork Company as it marked the culmination of years of significant planning, investment, and development in this vital facility to ensure the port’s ongoing competitiveness,” said POCC chief commercial officer Conor Mowlds.

“CCT represents the largest single investment in marine infrastructure of any Irish port over the last 100 years and has enabled the port to deliver more efficient container handling facilities, strengthening Cork’s position as an international gateway for trade.”

The container terminal in Ringaskiddy, which is on a 39- hectare site, is operational 24/7, and is one of the largest deep-water multimodal berths in the world, at 13 metres deep and 360 metres long.

The development includes an optimised 360m multimodal berth with the potential to cater for any type of shipping; two giant 50m- high ship-to-shore cranes; the capacity to store 492 refrigerated containers; as well as new maintenance and customs and excise buildings and a digitised vehicle booking system.

It also includes a recreation area at Paddy’s Point.