- Business
- Irish Continental Group plc (ICG) is Ireland's leading maritime transport group, operating passenger and roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) freight ferry services under the Irish Ferries brand, as well as container shipping, terminal operations and vessel chartering activities through its two main divisions. Founded in 1972 as Irish Continental Line and headquartered at Ferryport, Alexandra Road, Dublin 1, Ireland, the Ferries Division deploys a modern fleet of eight owned or purchase-obligated cruise ferries and fastcraft—including the Dublin Swift, Isle of Inishmore, Ulysses, W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, Isle of Inisheer and Isle of Inishmore—on key short-sea routes connecting Ireland to Britain (Dublin-Holyhead, Rosslare-Pembroke), France (Rosslare-Cherbourg, Dublin-Cherbourg) and the UK-France short-sea market (Dover-Calais); it also owns fourteen vessels in total, including nine container ships (six chartered intra-group to the Container and Terminal Division under Eucon and three chartered externally), providing passenger services for over three million travelers annually, RoRo freight for approximately 767,200 units in 2024, car transport for 707,300 vehicles in 2024, and chartering revenue. The Container and Terminal Division operates LoLo container shipping services under the Eucon brand to over 20 continental European countries using chartered-in vessels and intermodal transport by sea, road, rail and barge (317,800 teu shipped in 2024), alongside stevedoring and handling at Dublin Ferryport Terminals and Belfast Container Terminal (339,400 lifts in 2024), plus the Dublin Ferryport Inland Depot for empty container storage; operations span Ireland, the United Kingdom and continental Europe, serving trade, tourism and logistics customers with 24/7 connectivity via advanced booking and tracking systems. Recent developments include the April 2025 purchase of the cruise ferry James Joyce (ex-Star 1) from Tallink for the Dublin-Holyhead route, following the 2024 acquisition of Oscar Wilde (ex-Spirit of Britain) via charter with purchase obligation in 2026, resulting in full ownership of all eight Irish Ferries vessels and elimination of external passenger ship charters; the April 2025 acquisition of container vessel CT Endeavor for Eucon; extension of the Belfast Container Terminal concession to 2032; continuation of a space-sharing agreement with P&O Ferries on Dover-Calais for freight; and strong 2025 volume growth with RoRo freight up 4.9% year-to-date to November at 735,200 units amid robust demand, despite car declines, supporting revenue of €637 million in 2024 and €309.9 million in HY 2025.