Irish Continental Group
Irish Continental Group plc operates passenger ferries and RoRo freight under Irish Ferries, LoLo container shipping under Eucon, and port terminal operations at Dublin and Belfast. It serves travelers, haulage operators, and shipping lines on Ireland-Europe routes, generating €666.7M revenue in 2025.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1972
- HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Irish Continental Group does
Irish Continental Group plc (ICG) is Ireland's leading maritime transport group, founded in 1970 and headquartered in Dublin. The company operates two integrated divisions: a Ferries Division under the Irish Ferries brand, providing passenger and RoRo (roll-on/roll-off) freight shipping between Ireland, Britain, and Continental Europe using a fleet of 14 owned vessels plus 2 chartered vessels; and a Container and Terminal Division, which combines LoLo (lift-on/lift-off) container shipping under the Eucon brand with port terminal operations at Dublin Ferryport Terminals and Belfast Container Terminal, supported by a Dublin Ferryport Inland Depot. ICG serves three primary customer segments: leisure and business travelers (B2C passenger ferry), haulage companies and logistics operators (B2B RoRo freight and container shipping), and shipping lines using its terminal handling services. In 2025, ICG generated revenue of €666.7 million, carried 679,700 cars and 816,700 RoRo units, and handled 360,900 containers.
ICG's core technology centers on maritime transport operations: a modern ferry fleet (including the 2018-built W.B. Yeats, the 2007-built James Joyce acquired in 2025, and the 2010-built Oscar Wilde acquired in 2026), container vessel operations under the Eucon brand (including Ranger, CT Rotterdam, Thetis D, and others), and stevedoring and terminal handling infrastructure at Ireland's two principal ports. The business runs a vertically integrated model in which vessel ownership, freight operations, and port terminals are co-located at key chokepoints on the Ireland-Europe trade lane, supported by offices in Dublin, Rotterdam, and Belfast. This structure delivers route reliability and operational synergies but is capital-intensive, requiring continuous fleet renewal; the company recently acquired both the James Joyce (2025) and Oscar Wilde (2026) vessels from Tallink Grupp, alongside the Star I cruise ship.
ICG's revenue model is transaction-based: passenger and car ferry tickets, freight unit charges, container shipping rates, and terminal handling fees. Passenger ferry bookings are predominantly direct-to-consumer via the Irish Ferries website, supplemented by a shareholder discount program (20% off Ireland-Britain and France-Britain routes for holders of 1,000+ ICG units; 10% off Ireland-France direct sailings; 5% off Irish Ferries package holidays). Freight and container shipping are sold via dedicated sales teams to haulage companies and logistics operators, while terminal services are offered to shipping lines on a handling-fee basis. ICG is publicly listed on the Irish and London Stock Exchanges under the ticker ICGC, with CEO Eamonn Rothwell holding 21.65% of shares. In 2025, the group generated EBITDA of €150.6 million and profit before tax of €77.5 million, and declared a final dividend of 10.95 cent per ordinary share at its 7 May 2026 AGM.
Irish Continental Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Irish Continental Group
- Legal name
- Irish Continental Group plc
- Website
- https://www.icg.ie/
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1972
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Irish Continental Group plc operates passenger ferries and RoRo freight under Irish Ferries, LoLo container shipping under Eucon, and port terminal operations at Dublin and Belfast. It serves travelers, haulage operators, and shipping lines on Ireland-Europe routes, generating €666.7M revenue in 2025.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Irish Continental Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Maritime Transport Services
- NAICS
- Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation (48311), Coastal and Great Lakes Passenger Transportation (483114), Marine Cargo Handling (488320), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)
- SIC
- Water Transportation (4400), Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ro-Pax Ferry Operators (Passenger + Vehicle Ferries) (TLAFALAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- RoPax Ferry Operators (Passenger + Vehicle) (THAEAGAC), Passenger Ferry Operators (Interisland/Intercity) (TLAFALAA), Regional/Feeder Container Carriers (TLADABAB), Ferry Terminal, Port & Passenger Handling Services (THAEAGAJ), Finished Vehicle Ocean RoRo & Deep-Sea Vehicle Carriers (TLADAJAC)
Keywords
Where Irish Continental Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dublin
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices6 records
Markets served
Irish Continental Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Ferry Passenger Services: Passenger ferry services on routes between Ireland, Britain, and Continental Europe. Revenue generated from ticket sales for passengers and vehicles.
- RoRo Freight Services: Roll-on Roll-off freight shipping services between Ireland, Britain, and Continental Europe. Revenue from freight vehicle and cargo unit transport.
- Container Shipping (Eucon): LoLo (Lift-on Lift-off) container shipping activities under the Eucon brand operating between Ireland, Continental Europe and United Kingdom.
- Terminal Operations: Operation of Dublin Ferryport Terminals and Belfast Container Terminal, plus Dublin Ferryport Inland Depot. Revenue from port handling and stevedoring services.
- Ship Chartering: Vessel time chartering activities through subsidiary Contarga Limited for Ireland and Continental Europe operations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard ferry passenger and car pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Irish Continental Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Irish Continental Group operates passenger and RoRo freight ferry services under the Irish Ferries brand and LoLo container shipping under the Eucon brand between Ireland, Britain, and Continental Europe. The group also runs container terminal operations at Dublin Ferryport Terminals and Belfast Container Terminal, plus an inland depot at Dublin, supported by a modern fleet of 14 owned and 2 chartered vessels.
Product overview
Irish Continental Group operates as a unified maritime transport group with two main divisions: the Ferries Division (including the Irish Ferries brand) providing passenger and RoRo freight shipping services through a fleet of 14 owned and 2 chartered vessels; and the Container and Terminal Division encompassing the Eucon brand for LoLo container shipping, Dublin Ferryport Terminals, Belfast Container Terminal, and Dublin Ferryport Inland Depot. The group generates revenue of €666.7 million (2025) carrying 679,700 cars and handling 360,900 containers annually.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Irish Ferries: Passenger and RoRo freight shipping services and ship chartering under the Ferries Division. Owns fourteen vessels and charters two vessels.
- Eucon
- Dublin Ferryport Terminals
- Belfast Container Terminal
Products and services
- Irish Ferries Passenger and RoRo Freight Services Passenger ferry and roll-on/roll-off freight shipping services between Ireland, Britain, and Continental Europe, operated by a fleet of 14 owned vessels plus 2 chartered vessels under the Irish Ferries brand.
- Eucon Container Shipping LoLo container shipping services between Ireland, Continental Europe, and the United Kingdom operated under the Eucon brand with a fleet of container vessels.
- Dublin Ferryport Terminals (DFT) Container terminal operations at Dublin Port providing stevedoring, handling, and storage services for shipping lines and cargo handlers.
- Belfast Container Terminal (BCT) Container terminal operations at Belfast Harbour providing stevedoring and handling services, supported by a seven-year Kalmar Care maintenance contract running to Q3 2032.
- Dublin Ferryport Inland Depot Inland container depot facility supporting the Container and Terminal Division operations in the Dublin area.
- Ship Chartering Services (Contarga Limited) Vessel time chartering services for Ireland and Continental Europe operations provided through subsidiary Contarga Limited.
Quantifiable outcome
- Revenue of €666.7 million in 2025, a 10.4% increase year-on-year
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Irish Continental Group
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Irish Continental Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature1 record
Irish Continental Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- AS Tallink GruppminorEstonian shipping company that completed sale of cruise ship Star I to Irish Continental Group plc during 2025 as part of Tallink's debt reduction strategy (net debt reduced to €432.4 million).
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Irish Continental Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Stena Line: Stena Line is the largest ferry operator on the Irish Sea and a direct competitor to Irish Ferries on Ireland-UK passenger and RoRo freight routes, with a comparable combined passenger + vehicle ferry model.
- P&O Ferries: P&O Ferries operates passenger and freight ferry services on UK-Ireland and other European short-sea routes, directly overlapping with ICG's Irish Ferries brand on key lanes including Dublin-Liverpool.
- DFDS: DFDS is the largest European ferry and logistics operator with passenger, RoRo freight, and container shipping across the North Sea, English Channel, and Irish Sea — directly comparable to ICG's multimodal maritime transport model.
- Brittany Ferries: Brittany Ferries operates passenger and freight ferries between the UK, France, Spain, and Ireland, overlapping with ICG on Ireland-France routes and the broader UK-Continental Europe passenger ferry market.
- Seatruck Ferries: Seatruck Ferries is a dedicated Irish Sea RoRo freight operator serving Liverpool-Dublin routes, directly competing with ICG's Irish Ferries RoRo freight division on the same corridor.
- Tallink Grupp: Tallink is an Estonian-listed passenger and cargo ferry operator in the Baltic Sea; it is both a peer operator and ICG's recent counterparty in vessel sales (Star I 2025, Oscar Wilde 2026), making it a structurally relevant comparable.
- CLdN Cobelfret: CLdN Cobelfret operates RoRo freight and container services across Europe including Irish Sea routes, comparable to ICG's RoRo freight and Eucon container shipping operations.
- Condor Ferries: Condor Ferries operates passenger and freight ferry services in the Channel Islands and Western Approaches, comparable to ICG as a regional passenger ferry operator with similar fleet and route economics.
Broad incumbents
- Hapag-Lloyd: Hapag-Lloyd is a global container liner shipping major that operates LoLo services into Irish ports, comparable to ICG's Eucon container shipping division as a broader incumbent in the same container shipping category.
Regional players
- Peel Ports Group: Peel Ports operates UK and Irish port terminals including container handling facilities, comparable to ICG's Dublin Ferryport Terminals and Belfast Container Terminal as a regional port operator peer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Irish Continental Group social profiles
Digital presenceIrish Continental Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Irish Continental Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Irish Continental Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries8 records
Irish Continental Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Irish Continental Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Irish Continental Group
What does Irish Continental Group do?
Irish Continental Group operates passenger and RoRo freight ferry services under the Irish Ferries brand and LoLo container shipping under the Eucon brand between Ireland, Britain, and Continental Europe. The group also runs container terminal operations at Dublin Ferryport Terminals and Belfast Container Terminal, plus an inland depot at Dublin, supported by a modern fleet of 14 owned and 2 chartered vessels.
Is Irish Continental Group a public or private company?
Irish Continental Group is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Irish Continental Group founded?
Irish Continental Group was founded in 1972. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Irish Continental Group based?
Irish Continental Group is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does Irish Continental Group make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Ferry Passenger Services are the primary driver. The others are roRo Freight Services, container Shipping (Eucon), terminal Operations and ship Chartering.
Who are Irish Continental Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Stena Line, P&O Ferries, DFDS, Brittany Ferries, Seatruck Ferries, Tallink Grupp, CLdN Cobelfret and Condor Ferries. Hapag-Lloyd is listed as a broad incumbent. Peel Ports Group is listed as a regional player.
Does Irish Continental Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Irish Continental Group.
What industry is Irish Continental Group in?
Irish Continental Group's product category is Maritime Transport Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAFALAD, Ro-Pax Ferry Operators (Passenger + Vehicle Ferries), with a secondary code of THAEAGAC, RoPax Ferry Operators (Passenger + Vehicle). Its NAICS code is 48311 and its SIC code is 4400.