Figure 2.20 highlights that ports tend to specialise in handling different types of freight to suit their own facilities and customer requirements (e.g. Rosslare and Larne primarily deal with Ro-Ro traffic, Foynes (Shannon) with bulks).
The largest ports by volume are Dublin and Belfast, which have facilities to handle all the main types of commodities. Figure 2.20 also illustrates that on the island of Ireland the largest ports for Ro-Ro shipments are on the east coast. Ro-Ro is particularly focussed on the shortest crossings because it carries higher value, time-sensitive goods.