The Port of Cork offers a wide choice of fast, scheduled lift-on lift-off and roll-on roll-off services to continental Europe. The Port offers a scheduled ro-ro shortsea service to Swansea and Cork is the only Irish port providing a deepsea ro-ro service to Scandinavia, and the Mediterranean, and West Africia. At both the Tivoli Container Terminal and the Ringaskiddy Ro-Ro Terminal, modern port facilites and cargo handling equipment, high productivity levels, competitive pricing and twenty four hour working, seven days per week have contributed greatly to increased unitised throughput.
Lift – on Lift – Off Services
The Tivoli Container Terminal is situated 2 miles / 3 kilometres downriver from Cork city at the junction of two of Ireland’s four Euroroutes, the N8 Cork – Dublin and the N25 Cork – Waterford – Rosslare. The terminal is adjacent to the Lee Tunnel and enjoys ready access to the N20 Cork-Limerick- Galway primary route.
Handling equipment includes two modern gantry container cranes and six straddle carriers. The terminal is equipped with a bank of reefer/heater points. The approach channel to Tivoli has been dredged to a depth of 6.5m C.D. to allow fully laden 700/800 teu vessels to access or depart the Terminal at all stages of the tide.
Competitive high frequency sailings have led to increased containerised throughput, thus enabling the Port of Cork to increase its market share of the Irish container market. The wide range of door to door services permit fast and frequent delivery of containers throughout Europe while feeder services allow Irish exporters to service deepsea markets speedily and efficiently.
Modern facilities are available at both Ringaskiddy and Tivoli to cater for the port’s increasingly important roll-on roll-off traffic. The Ringaskiddy Ferry Terminal accommodates car ferry services to Britain and continental Europe together with regular shipments of trade vehicles.
The Grimaldi Euro-Med service is Ireland’s only deepsea ro-ro service offering weekly connections to Scandinavian and Mediterranean ports. It is operated from the Ringaskiddy Deepwater Terminal which also services the port’s considerable trade in deepsea trade vehicles. The Grimaldi West Africa service also calls to the Ringaskiddy Deepwater Terminal on a regular basis. Much of Cork’s traffic in trade vehicles is handled at the Tivoli Ro-Ro terminal where regular shipments are discharged from British and mainland European ports. Extensive vehicle storage compounds are situated at Ringaskiddy and Tivoli.
There are four distinct public port facilities situated at the City Quays, the Tivoli Industrial and Dock Estate, the Ringaskiddy Deepwater and Ferry Terminals and the Cobh Cruise Terminal. For centuries the City Quays have handled most of the trade of the port and, while much of that traffic has now moved downriver, this area continues to account for approximately 1 million tonnes of cargo ranging from cereals, animal feedstuffs, fertilisers and coal to timber, acids and salt. In addition, a small number of medium size cruise ships continue to call to the City Quays.
The Port’s lift-on lift-off container traffic – door – to – door and feeder – is handled at the Tivoli Container Terminal from where at least ten sailings per week are operated to European ports. Much of the Port’s trade in trade vehicles is handled at this location as is the entire output of zinc and lead concentrates from the Lisheen Mine situated in County Tipperary. Other traffic handled at Tivoli includes refined oils, chemicals, LPG, salt, magnesite and livestock.
With a minimum depth alongside of 13.4 metres at low water, the Ringaskiddy Deepwater Terminal handles fully laden Panamax size vessels (60,000 tons deadweight), the only public port facility capable of so doing in any part of Ireland, north or south. Most of the Port’s considerable trade in animal feedstuffs is discharged here where there is large – scale private sector investment in specialist warehousing. It is here also that Grimaldi Euro-Med Line’s weekly roll-on roll-off service to and from the Mediterranean and Northern Europe is handled. In addition, the Deepwater Terminal handles other dry bulk cargoes, such as molasses, cement and steel scrap. Trade vehicles are discharged at both the Deepwater Terminal and the adjoining Ringaskiddy Ferry Terminal where Swansea Cork Ferries’ service to Swansea and Brittany Ferries’ service to Roscoff are accommodated. The Terminal’s excellent passenger and freight facilities ensure smooth and efficient movement of passengers and freight through the port and onwards to their ultimate destinations – so important for the economic welfare of the region.
The Cobh Cruise Terminal is the only dedicated cruise terminal in Ireland. Situated within a few hundred metres of the centre of the picturesque town of Cobh, it is capable of accommodating cruise ships up to 320 metres in overall length.