ICG passenger traffic rises 11%

Passenger numbers at Irish Continental Group have risen 11 per cent to date, with the ferry company carrying 570,000 passengers since the start of the year.

The company said it has benefited from the closure of Irish airspace due to the recent ash cloud that

"The reaction from first time customers who used our services during the recent air disruption has been very positive and we are hopeful that this will lead to repeat business, particularly for summer car traffic," ICG said in a statement.

Car passengers were down 4 per cent to 124,800 cars, a trend that was previously flagged due in part to the late start of the Ireland-France route folowing a winter vessel refit. This reduced the car volumes on that route by 13 per cent, and volumes on the Irish Sea routes were down 2 per cent.

However, this decline was compensated for with higher yields.

ICG said there were signs of modest growth in the "roll on roll off" freight market for the first time in about 18 months. However, excess shipping capacity in the market continues, and units were down 13 per cent on the previous year.

Container freight volumes rose by 10 per cent, but rate levels are lower than last year.

Fuel costs were running between 25 per cent and 30 per cent higher due to the weakening of the euro, but the currency's value against sterling is being viewed as a positive development for both inbound tourism to Ireland and also Irish exports to the UK.