P&O Ferries’ Q3 Volumes on Larne-Cairnryan Route Highest since 2011

UK-based ferry operator P&O Ferries saw the strongest freight numbers between Larne and Cairnryan in the third quarter of this year than it has in any Q3 since 2011.

The company carried 53,305 lorries and trailers on its ships in the months of July, August and September. This figure represents a 3.3 percent increase on the same quarter last year, P&O Ferries said.

“Our port at Larne is fast becoming the gateway of choice for anyone exporting to or from Ireland. It has outstanding connections via rail and road, especially after the upgrading of the A8 dual carriageway, and is nine miles closer to Scotland than the port at Belfast,” Neal Mernock, P&O Ferries Sector Director on the Irish Sea, commented.

P&O Ferries operates seven sailings a day between Larne and Cairnryan using two 21,000 ton sister vessels, European Causeway and European Highlander. The regular daily service provides a bridge for goods being transported between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to Britain, and also to the continent via its connecting services from Dover, Tilbury, Hull and Teesport.

The company operates more than 20 vessels which carry 10 million passengers, 1.6 million cars and 2.2 million freight units every year.