Irish government report supports the construction of a new deep-water port on the east coast

The Irish Independent reported on July 4 that according to the draft National Ports Policy released by the Irish Government, Ireland needs to build an additional deep-water port on its east coast to serve the growing cargo trade and meet the development needs of future offshore renewable energy.

The developer of the proposed Drogheda Port (to be named "Bremore Ireland Port") stated that the policy provides a clear advancement path for its project planning process. The proposed port will be located at the border of County Meath and Dublin, jointly developed by Drogheda Port Company and the Ronan Group Real Estate.

A deep-water port refers to a port capable of berthing the world's largest cargo vessels. The developer noted that this project will provide Ireland with more space to accommodate such large vessels, increase the cargo throughput of Irish ports, and support offshore wind power projects and green hydrogen production.

The developer will subsequently submit an Environmental Impact Assessment and planning application to Meath County Council and the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA).

The draft policy report points out that over 90% of Ireland's import and export goods are transported through commercial ports. Ireland needs to ensure its ports have sufficient capacity to handle future larger-tonnage vessels and growing cargo volumes.

Data shows that Irish ports handled 53.9 million tons of cargo in 2025. Among them, Dublin Port handled nearly half of the cargo, while Drogheda Port handled 1.22 million tons, accounting for 2.26% of Ireland's total port cargo throughput that year.

The developer stated that Bremore Port has also been designated as a core port in the EU's TEN-T network, meaning it is part of the EU transport network, and major transport projects there are eligible to apply for European funding.

Source: Economic and Commercial Office of the Chinese Embassy in Ireland