€630.7m
€XX.Xm
388
135
€XX.Xm
Irish sea freight companies provide a crucial link between Irish businesses and the global economy. The industry is heavily reliant on international trade, with performance fluctuating in line with activity in downstream sectors, including manufacturing, retail and commodities. In recent years, sea freight companies have increasingly relied on multinational domiciled pharmaceuticals and chemicals businesses to fuel freight volumes. The industry faces challenges from an oversupply in capacity due to a sharp increase in the number of vessels used by companies, combined with a slump in the volume of goods handled by Irish ports, which has weighed on industry revenue.
Industry revenue has grown at a CAGR of 9.7 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated €630.7m in 2024.
Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.
Company | Market Share (%)
2024 | Revenue (€m)
2024 |
---|---|---|
Irish Continental Group plc | 152.3 | |
Arklow Shipping Unlimited Company | 5.9 |
To view the market share and analysis for all 2 top companies in this industry, view purchase options.
Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Liquid bulk shipping , Container ship services and Transporting dry-bulk products. Liquid bulk shipping is the largest segment of the Sea & Coastal Freight Water Transport in Ireland.
Strained consumer spending amid persistent inflation weighs on container shipping sales
Companies in the sea and coastal freight water transport industry transport bulk and non-bulk freight on vessels designed for the open sea or coastal waters. The industry includes scheduled and unscheduled activities, towing barges and oil rigs.
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SIC 50.20 - Sea & Coastal Freight Water Transport in Ireland
Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.
Companies battle against an oversupply of freight space. Too much capacity in the market has meant many ships have been operating below capacity, limiting their earnings.
Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.
Container shipping services surge post-Brexit. Most lift-on/lift-off services offered by Irish freight water companies go directly to Continental Europe, so companies that us...
Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.
Freight movements shift towards the Mid-West. Companies in the region, which makes up the biggest share of Ireland’s non-UK water transport, have been big beneficiaries of Br...
Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.
Excess capacity causes competition to creep upwards. Companies are having to fight harder than ever to attract custom, mostly through pricing, though the smaller companies ca...
Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.
Irish Continental Group capitalises on high fuel prices. Its application of flexible bunker and fuel surcharges meant revenue swelled in line with rising fuel prices in 2022;...
Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.
The Irish Maritime Development Office promotes freight water transport. Alongside marketing services, it provides freight water companies with market research, legal advice a...
View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time.
Profit moves in line with freight rates. With oversupply pushing freight rates downwards, some companies have struggled with low profitability – especially right after the CO...
Including values and annual change:
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Key data sources in Ireland include:
Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.
These sources include:
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The market size of the Sea & Coastal Freight Water Transport industry in Ireland is €630.7m in 2024.
There are 135 businesses in the Sea & Coastal Freight Water Transport industry in Ireland, which has grown at a CAGR of 3.3 % between 2019 and 2024.
The market size of the Sea & Coastal Freight Water Transport industry in Ireland has been growing at a CAGR of 9.7 % between 2019 and 2024.
Over the next five years, the Sea & Coastal Freight Water Transport industry in Ireland is expected to grow.
The biggest companies operating in the Sea & Coastal Freight Water Transport market in Ireland are Irish Continental Group plc and Arklow Shipping Unlimited Company
Liquid bulk shipping and Container ship services are part of the Sea & Coastal Freight Water Transport industry.
The company holding the most market share in Ireland is Irish Continental Group plc.
The level of competition is high and increasing in the Sea & Coastal Freight Water Transport industry in Ireland.