Port of Cork welcomes biggest ever car carrier to its docks

682 vehicles have been delivered ahead of the new year.

The Port of Cork has welcomed the biggest ever car carrier to its shores in its bid to emerge as a key gateway for international trade and shipping at a time of great congestion across Europe. In tandem with global shipping company EUKOR, the Port of Cork facilitated the vessel in order to ensure the supply chain and distribution of new cars for sale in the opening months of 2022. The vessel initially began its journey in Korea, with 682 vehicles in tow. The vehicles, which were bound for Ireland, would have had to be delivered to Rotterdam before being separately shipped over here at a later date, were it not for the Port of Cork's intervention. The ship, named ''Morning Laura', has a capacity to transport 8,000 vehicles. It docked in Cork for approximately eight hours on Sunday (19 December), becoming the first vessel to have docked at the new deep-water berth in Ringaskiddy. All 682 vehicles – of which almost 40% are electric vehicles – were delivered to Cork following stops in Morocco, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.

“This is further proof of the Port of Cork’s ease of access as a trade route to Europe and beyond and we look forward to maintaining and building on this new relationship with EUKOR into the future," said Conor Mowlds Chief Commercial Officer for the Port of Cork.

Images via Port of Cork