P&O Ferries sees peak volumes

P&O Ferries has shrugged off the UK’S faltering economy in 2017 to carry the highest volume of freight traffic in six years on its ferries across the Irish Sea between Cairnryan and Larne.

The transport and logistics company, which boasts the shortest and most frequent crossings between Dumfries and Galloway and Northern Ireland, said yesterday that it carried 210,533 lorries and trailers last year.

That was up 1.3 per cent on 2016 and the best result since 2011.

Neal Mernock, P&O Ferries’ director for the Irish Sea, said: “These outstanding volumes illustrate the vital importance of our service to the thousands of businesses and millions of consumers who rely on the efficient and reliable transportation of goods across the Irish Sea.

“Larne is fast establishing itself as the gateway of choice for anyone exporting to or from Ireland, thanks to its outstanding connectivity via road and rail, and also the fact that it is nine miles closer to Scotland than the port at Belfast.

“The reliability of our service was exemplified in the spring when we brought one of our English Channel ferries, European Seaway, to cover the route while the other two ships went into dry dock for annual maintenance. The feedback from our customers was that they hadn’t noticed any difference, which is the ultimate compliment.”

P&O Ferries said it saw strong volumes of agricultural and dairy produce, building materials, consumer goods, machinery, peat and household coal being transported on its two Irish Sea crossings, Larne-cairnryan and Liverpool-dublin.

The group runs seven sailings a day between Larne and Cairnryan in Scotland.