Sligo Port
| Sligo Port | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Sligo Port | |
| Location | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Location | Sligo |
| Coordinates | 54°17′00″N 8°29′34″W / 54.28342°N 8.49287°WCoordinates: 54°17′00″N 8°29′34″W / 54.28342°N 8.49287°W Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed. |
| UN/LOCODE | IESLI[1] |
| Details | |
| Operated by | Sligo County Council Harbour Office |
| Available berths | 2[2] |
| Statistics | |
| Vessel arrivals | 27 (2025) [3] |
| Annual cargo tonnage | 42,000 (2025)[3] |
| Website Official website | |
Sligo Port is a seaport in Sligo, Ireland. Located on the northwest coast of Ireland, the port is situated along the Garavogue estuary inside Sligo Bay. It is the only working port between Galway and Derry, and is operated by Sligo County Council.[2]
History
The history of Sligo as a port town goes back to at least the 13th century, when it began it's development as an important port for shipping agricultural goods to Britain and Europe. Mentions of a "Fish Quay" can be found in official records from the 15th century, and customs duties under the Harbour Commissioner go back to 1689.[4]:55
Works to construct the present line of quays occured throughout the 19th century, in 1846 permission was granted to deepen the channel at the Harbour, and in 1877 the quays reached their present day limit at the Deepwater Quay. These developments lead to an increase in trade at the port. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Sligo Port had a number regular services to destinations such as Liverpool and Glasgow, as well as ones closer by such as Belmullet in Mayo, where road access was poor. The outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 lead to the withdrawal of the services to Britain and a collapse in trade at the port in general.[5][6]
The port has experienced a resurgence in the 21th century, responsibilty was handed over from the Sligo Harbour Commissioners to Sligo County Council in 2006, who since then, have completed a number of improvement works, including improvements to the training walls, a refurbishment of the Deepwater Jetty, a new pontoon for small craft at the former Timber Jetty, and the reconstruction and reopening of the Barytes Jetty in 2008, increasing the capacity of the port and allowing two vessels to be loaded simultaneously.[4]:26, 42[7] The port reported its busiest period in 50 years in 2011.[8]
In June 2026, the world's largest replica Spanish Galleon, the Galeón Andalucía, docked at Sligo Port for a two week visit, to commemerate the 1,100 Spanish sailors who died off the Sligo coast when three Armada ships sunk in 1588, and to allow members of the public to come aboard and view the museum exhibits inside the ship.[9][10]
Operations
The port primarily handles bulk and breakbulk cargo such as timber logs, woodchip, fishmeal and solid fuels,[11][12][4]:26 with an annual throughput of approximately 42,000 tonnes of goods as of 2025.[3]
In addition to cargo operations, there is a 60m timber pontoon closer to the town centre than the deepwater berths, which provides mooring for small boats, such as pleasure craft or fishing vessels.[2]
Traffic
The port can accommodate vessels up to 3,000 metric tonnes deadweight (DWT), with a maximum lenght and draft of up to 100m and 4.5m respectively. There are two berths along its quays, Deepwater Quay with a lenght of 75m and Barytes Quay (named for the baryte exports from the former Glencarbury mines) with a length of 55m. The port is capable of berthing two vessels at a time.[2]
Silt build-up and dredging issues
The build-up of silt at the port and the channel leading through the bay into it has been a persistent issue throughout the years. Measures have been put in place such as training walls to help manage the movement of sediment, but regular dredging is required to maintain the depth required for commercial shipping.[4]:25 As of 2026, dredging of the channel last took place in 1998, while dredging at the berths last took place in 2010.[4]:42 In 2012, Sligo County Council sought to embark on the journey needed to dredge the harbour[13], and in 2014, a foreshore licence for dredging was granted by the Department of the Environment, but the project stalled later that year when funding could not be got to acquire a Dumping at Sea Licence from the Environmental Protection Agency.[14][15] In 2022, it was revealed that the volume of silt had nearly doubled since 2011, and that a new foreshore licence would have to be sought for any dredging.[16] In 2026, despite an increase in traffic[17][18] and calls for development from local representatives,[19] there are currently no proposals to dredge the harbour. The maximum deadweight of vessels entering the port has been reduced from 3,500 tonnes[20] to 3,000 tonnes,[2] and there are fears that without intervention, cargo vessels may be blocked from entering the harbour entirely.[21]
References
- ↑ "UNLOCODE (IE) - IRELAND".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Sligo Port". Sligo County Council.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "CSO Port Traffic Statistics 2025".
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "The Proposed Dredging of the Navigation Channel at Sligo Harbour" (PDF).
- ↑ "SLIGO PORT" (PDF).
- ↑ "The Voyages of the Tartar, 1896 to 1948".
- ↑ "€1.8m Sligo Harbour Redevelopment Complete - The redeveloped Timber Jetty at Ballast Quay has been officially opened by the Sligo Harbour office". constructionireland.ie. November 2008.
- ↑ "Sligo port thrives again".
- ↑ "Spanish Galleon Replica Visits Sligo".
- ↑ "World's largest Spanish galleon replica docks in Sligo for 12-day visit".
- ↑ "Northwest Shipping Services' Port on Facebook".
All go in the Port of Sligo today, timber export at its finest
- ↑ "Northwest Shipping Services' Post on Facebook".
Busy day with the Ceg Cosmos loading fishmeal heading for Scotland and the Ceg Orbit loading woodchip bound for England.
- ↑ "Dredging at Sligo Harbour".
- ↑ "Sligo harbour dredging 'in limbo'".
- ↑ "Sligo Harbour Faces Dredging Costs of €5m".
- ↑ "Sligo Harbour is full of silt but dredging it is not viable says new report".
- ↑ "M.K. Northwest Shipping's post on Facebook".
- ↑ "Busy Times at the Port of Sligo as Wilson ASA Cargo Ship Trio Load Fishmeal".
- ↑ "Calls to Develop Port of Sligo Makes Sense - Says Cathaoirleach".
- ↑ "Previous Harbour Info".
- ↑ "Fears of Port of Sligo's Build-Up of Silt Could Block Shipping Lane".
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