Irish Continental Group

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.

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

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

• Passenger ferry services
• RoRo freight shipping
• Container terminal operations
• Maritime transport services
• LoLo container shipping

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ferry Passenger Services: Passenger ferry services on routes between Ireland, Britain, and Continental Europe. Revenue generated from ticket sales for passengers and vehicles.
2. RoRo Freight Services: Roll-on Roll-off freight shipping services between Ireland, Britain, and Continental Europe. Revenue from freight vehicle and cargo unit transport.
3. Container Shipping (Eucon): LoLo (Lift-on Lift-off) container shipping activities under the Eucon brand operating between Ireland, Continental Europe and United Kingdom.
4. Terminal Operations: Operation of Dublin Ferryport Terminals and Belfast Container Terminal, plus Dublin Ferryport Inland Depot. Revenue from port handling and stevedoring services.
5. Ship Chartering: Vessel time chartering activities through subsidiary Contarga Limited for Ireland and Continental Europe operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core 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

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AS Tallink GruppminorOthersEstonian 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/icg_plc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Irish Continental Group