Largest Container Ship Ever to Call to an Irish Port Arrives In the Port of Cork

Over Five Million Fyffes Bananas Expected into Port of Cork for the Weekend

On Friday 8th April, container ship MV Northern Dedication will berth at the Port of Cork’s Deepwater Berth in Ringaskiddy as part of a weekly scheduled call from Central America to Cork. This container ship is the largest container ship to berth in Ringaskiddy Deepwater Berth and any Irish port.

With an overall length of 230m, a deadweight tonnage of 42,121 tonnes, the ship is carrying over 75 containers of fresh fruit, predominately Fyffes bananas. Each container carries in excess of 100,000 bananas. The ship will also discharge containers of pineapples and melons ensuring Ireland’s fresh fruit stocks are kept high.

Despite the size of this vessel, the discharge operation will take just 6-8 hours, highlighting the Port of Cork’s capability as a Tier 1 port. Vessels of this size are common around the globe nowadays and as the Port of Cork begins their expansion phase in Ringaskiddy, it is anticipated that more of these size vessels will become regular visitors to the Port of Cork.

Port of Cork Commercial Manager, Captain Michael McCarthy said: “There are very little restrictions at Ringaskiddy Deepwater Berth, so when it comes to handling a vessel of this size, the port is more than capable. In the future we would hope to see more of these size vessels calling, as our port expands to meet the needs of our own customers and the needs of the global shipping community.”

He continued: “This service from Central America to Cork commenced in 2013 and to date it has proven very successful. Bringing mainly Fyffes bananas to Ireland from South America, this service is vitally important for the domestic grocery industry.”

In 2015 total container volumes through both Tivoli and Ringaskiddy Container Terminals in the Port of Cork grew by 8% compared to 2014 figures with over 205,000 TEU’s handled.