Minister Canney visits Port of Cork to view progress on new developments

The minister of state with responsibility for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports, Seán Canney TD was welcomed to the Port of Cork last week for a special event.

The event, hosted by the Port of Cork Company (PoCC), saw Mr Canney present in Ringaskiddy to view the €94m Cork Container Terminal and inspect progress on the €100m development of CORE1.

CORE1 is a new multipurpose berth that will initially be utilised to accelerate the deployment of Ireland’s first offshore wind projects, on the east and south coast, for 2030 and beyond.

Mr Canney also had a private briefing meeting with the PoCC senior management team, where discussions centred on the economic impact generated by the port, both regionally and nationally, as well as the importance of cruise tourism, with 93 cruise liner scheduled to visit the Port of Cork throughout 2025.

This is expected to generate approximately €17m for the local economy, driven by average onshore spending of €81 per passenger and €29 per crew member.

Throughput

A tier 1 port of national significance, the port recorded a consolidated throughput of 9.5 million tonnes in 2023, supporting thousands of indirect jobs in warehousing, haulage, and shipping services.

Construction is already underway for CORE1, with an initial priority to facilitate the storage, assembly and installation requirements of offshore renewable energy (ORE) developments.

All the necessary facilities are being assembled with the intention to be ready for the ORE market in 2027.

CEO at the Port of Cork, Ann Doherty, said that CORE1 will have the “the length, depth and load bearing capacities” required to facilitate future planned offshore energy projects.

“The Port of Cork can be a key enabler of the green energy sector in Ireland by taking advantage of its natural deep-water navigation channels and existing quayside berths while accelerating the build-out of further infrastructure to support offshore renewable energy.