The Shannon Estuary Ports Company, responsible for six jetties in counties Limerick, Clare and Kerry, has reported a record year for business in 1999 with a throughput of 557 ships compared to 536 in 1998.

Cargo, however, was down by 110,000 tonnes to 8.72 million tonnes.

This was attributed to the cyclical nature of the coal importing business at Moneypoint, Co Clare, which serves the ESB's generating station.

The semi-State port authority's combined jetties have the third highest cargo volume in the State, after Dublin and Cork.

The authority is expected to report an increased profit for the year compared to the £1.1 million (€1.4 million) recorded in 1998 on a £3.5 million turnover.

Limerick docks had a throughput of 207 vessels, and tonnage rose by 9 per cent to 493,000 tonnes. It is undergoing a £5 million investment, involving the construction of four warehouses for bulk cargo and installation of cargo handling equipment.