The volume of goods coming through Dublin Port fell by over 15 per cent in the first three months of the year compared to the same quarter in 2020.
The latest figures are in contrast to the 7.8 per cent increase noted in the last three months of 2020.
Imports between January and March decreased by 14.4 per cent to 4.7 million gross tonnes, while exports fell to 3.1 million gross tonnes, representing a 16.6 per cent reduction.
There was a large decline in the volume of Ro-Ro (Roll on-Roll off) units, dropping by 11.7 per cent to 318,000 units, particularly impacted by a 29 per cent drop in units to and from British ports.
However, Ro-Ro volumes from French, Belgian and Dutch ports increased by 25.5 per cent, while the overall Ro-Ro decrease was also partially offset by a 9 per cent increase in the volume of Lo-Lo (Lift on-Lift off) units.
The impact of the pandemic on travel habits was also evident in the figures from Dublin Port, with bulk liquid imports of petroleum products down 23.4 per cent, in contrast to bulk solid imports, including agri-feed and cement products, which increased by 9.9 per cent.
