Dublin Port Plans Large Fee Increases to Fund Infrastructure Upgrades

 

To fund expansion and infrastructure upgrades, Ireland’s Dublin port has proposed a massive hike in its port fees starting next year. The fees would increase an over 40 percent for container charges, a move that shippers have criticized as an added tax on businesses in Ireland. The port’s owner, Dublin Port Company, defends the increase, arguing that the seaport is running close to capacity and must make critical investments.

“As a self-financing entity, it is required to raise charges to cover capital expenditures. Again, the charges have been flat for two decades, albeit modest increases in recent years,” commented Barry O'Connell, CEO of Dublin Port Company. 

O'Connell further noted that the port had a small capital spend between 2004 and 2021, hence, no fee review was undertaken during the period. The annual capital spend between 2015 and 2024 was $75 million. However, this is expected to rise to $198 million for the period 2025-2030, an increase of about 160 percent.

The proposed port fees review plans a five percent increase to the base price of a 40ft container, adding $2.13 to the current cost. For context, the current price is $44.74 for unaccompanied containers. In addition, a new $17 infrastructure charge has been added, effectively raising container charges by 46 percent. Therefore, the overall charges per container will rise to around $62 in 2026.

With these charges, Dublin Port is hoping to raise over $1 billion for infrastructure work planned by the end of this decade. The port expansion is being implemented under the Masterplan 2040. Some of the earmarked projects include the construction of a new container terminal with capacity for 612,000 TEUs. Another major project re-integrating the port to Dublin City, which will involve the construction of a new access road and bridge across the River Liffey, helping to decongest truck traffic from local roads.

But the Irish Road Haulage Association said that the hike in port fees will be disproportionately borne by consumers at a time when the cost of living is already high. “It’s an attack on every home in Ireland. It’s going to be seen in every shopping basket and every shopping trolley,” said Ger Hyland, President of the Irish Road Haulage Association. 

Dublin reported that it handled a total of 35.2 million tons of cargo in 2024. The port has a large portion of RoRo volume and, in addition, handled just over 800,000 lift-off containers last year.