Accredited official statistics

Port freight annual statistics 2023: Cargo information

Published 17 July 2024

You can use our maritime interactive dashboard to explore port freight trends

These are accredited official statistics and were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in December 2018. For more information, see the About these statistics section.

Port freight trends by cargo type

Chart 5 and Table 1 show  trends in UK major port tonnage by cargo group. Liquid bulk, the largest cargo group, has seen a general downward trend since 2000. Following a substantial increase in 2022, liquid bulk saw the largest absolute decline of all cargo groups in 2023 of 10.8 million tonnes (down 6% from 2022). Dry bulk saw the second largest decline in 2023 of 8.9 million tonnes, down 10% from 2022. This follows a smaller 3% decline seen from 2021 to 2022. Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) tonnage declined by 3%, compared to a 4% increase seen in 2022 from 2021. Container (Lo-Lo) tonnage traffic has been broadly stable and only slightly declined from 2022 to 2023.

Chart 5: UK major port tonnage by cargo group from 2013 to 2023 (PORT0201)

Table 1: UK major port tonnage by cargo group in 2023 and percent changes from 2022 and 2019 (most recent pre-pandemic year)

Cargo Group	2023 tonnage (million tonnes)	% change from 2022	% change from 2019
Liquid Bulk	169.3	- 6%	- 12%
Ro-Ro	96.2	- 3%	- 8%
Dry Bulk	84.4	- 10%	- 9%
Containers (Lo-Lo)	61.0	- 1%	- 9%
Other General Cargo	15.0	- 3%	- 11%

Please explore our maritime interactive dashboard for further statistics on passenger and freight trends.

Liquid bulk

Definitions

Liquid bulk consists of any liquid or liquid gas that is transported in a tank.

Liquified natural gas (LNG) is natural gas which has been cooled to approximately -160°C, changing its state from gas to liquid. This enables transportation of gas by ship, as the volume is significantly reduced compared to the gaseous state.

Oil products are derivatives of petroleum, including diesel, gasoil, aviation fuel and gas condensate.

Liquid bulk accounted for 40% of all tonnage handled at UK major ports in 2023, continuing to account for the highest proportion of all the cargo groups.

Chart 6 shows that the main liquid bulk categories all declined from 2022 to 2023. LNG saw the largest relative decline in 2023, down 19% from 2022. This decrease follows a substantial LNG increase in 2022, so tonnage is still up 28% compared to 2021.  Crude oil, the largest liquid bulk category, has seen an overall decline since 2013. Crude oil had the largest absolute decline (-4.8 million tonnes) of all liquid bulk categories from 2022 to 2023. Oil products remained at a similar level from 2013 until a sharp decline in 2020, followed by increases in 2021 and 2022, likely driven by post-pandemic recovery.

Chart 6: Liquid bulk tonnage trends from 2013 to 2023 (PORT0201)

Liquified natural gas (LNG)

The decrease in LNG in 2023 was driven mostly by imports, which were down 20% (-3.8 million tonnes) compared to 2022, whereas 2023 LNG exports only decreased 14% (-0.5 million tonnes) from 2022.  

Aligned with these figures, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), in 2023, both pipeline and LNG imports to the UK saw a decrease in demand and trade. Trends in LNG trade shifted in 2022 following the Russia-Ukraine conflict. European demand for LNG surged in 2022 as countries moved away from Russian gas, so European imports rose substantially. The UK holds significant regasification infrastructure for converting LNG back into a gas state. This meant the UK could import LNG, convert it into natural gas, then pipe it to other European countries with less or no regasification infrastructure. For more detail on LNG go to DESNZ energy trends collection.  Following this unexpected surge in LNG traffic in 2022, levels have returned to slightly lower levels in 2023 while remaining higher than in 2021.

In 2023, over half (65%) of the UK’s imports of LNG came from USA, followed by Qatar (10%). Qatar had previously been the largest LNG import source to the UK until 2022, when the USA overtook Qatar as the largest partner country for LNG shipments. DESNZ reported in 2022 that new liquefaction capacity in the USA has increased their export capacity, contributing to this shift.

UK imports of LNG from Qatar saw a 70% decline in 2023 compared to 2022, and accounting for the majority of the UKs overall decline in imported LNG. It has been reported the Qatar’s exports in 2023 to Asia increased in response to an increase in Asian LNG demands. The UK saw a slight increase of 7% from imports from the USA.

Milford Haven handled the most LNG of all UK ports in 2023 (55%), consistent with previous years.

For more detail on routes, go to the route information page.

Oil products

Oil products decreased slightly overall from 2022 to 2023, with exports driving the decline (down 7%), while imports of oil products saw a slight increase of 2%. DESNZ reported a near record low of production of petroleum products in the UK, despite demand for oil remaining relatively stable. To compensate for this reduced production, UK imports increased, while exports declined (see DESNZ Energy Trends for more details).

Despite an overall increase in oil imports, UK imports of Russian oil products declined 2.3 million tonnes in 2023 from 2022, following an EU ban that came into force for Russian petroleum products during Q1 (January to March) of 2023 (government legislation).

Of all UK major ports, Milford Haven handled the most oil products (22%), followed by London (17%). The largest absolute decline in oil products in 2023 was at Grimsby and Immingham, down 1.4 million tonnes (-11%) compared to 2022, followed by Milford Haven which saw a 1.1 million tonnes decline in 2023 (-6%).

Crude oil

Crude oil had the largest absolute decline of any liquid bulk category in 2023, down 4.8 million tonnes (-6%) from 2022. Crude oil declines were seen in both imports (down 2.1 million tonnes, -4%) and exports (down 2.6 million tonnes, -9%).

Aligned with these figures, DESNZ Energy Trends reported UK production and exports of primary oils fell to the lowest levels since North Sea production began in the 1970s along with global declines in demands for crude oil. In 2023, UK exports to Netherlands declined the most of all partner countries (down 1 million tonnes from 2022). In terms of imports, the composition changed following the ban on imports of Russian oil at the end of 2022 (DESNZ Energy Trends), with crude oil from ports in Russia dropping by 1.2 million tonnes from 2022 to 2023.

Dry bulk

Definitions

Dry bulk is carried in the main cargo hold of bulk carrier vessels, for example coal, ores and scrap metal.

Other dry bulk consists of anything that does not fit into ores and scrap, coal or agricultural products but is carried in bulk on a bulk carrier vessel, including cement, aggregates, ash and wood pellets.

Biomass is a broad term covering all organic material including that from plants, trees (for example straw, crops or wood) and animals (for example, poultry litter). It is considered a renewable form of energy production as biomass growth removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores it in the soil, plants or trees. Biomass is classified as other dry bulk in these statistics.

One-port traffic to and from offshore locations such as oil rigs and sea dredging.

Dry bulk declined overall by 10% in 2023 from 2022, driven mostly by declines in coal (down 3.5 million tonnes) and other dry bulk (down 3.8 million tonnes). Agricultural products were the only dry bulk cargo group to increase slightly in 2023 from 2022, up 0.3 million tonnes.

Chart 7 shows trends in dry bulk categories, from 2013 to 2023. Other dry bulk remains the largest category of all dry bulk and had been on a general upward trend from 2013, however following initial recovery from 2020 pandemic levels in 2021, other dry bulk has declined in the last 2 years. Coal declined sharply between 2013 and 2016, but levels has since stabilised and coal remained the smallest dry bulk category since 2019. Ores and agriculture products both have relatively stable trends over the past decade with small fluctuations during this period.

Chart 7: Dry bulk tonnage trends from 2013 to 2023 (PORT0201)

Other dry bulk

In 2023, other dry bulk had the largest absolute decline of all dry bulk categories, down 3.8 million tonnes from 2022. Other dry bulk levels are now just 2% above the levels seen in 2020 during the pandemic.

Other dry bulk has been the largest dry bulk category since 2015, driven by changes in energy production in the UK away from coal and towards biomass (which is categorised under other dry bulk). DESNZ Energy Trends reported a decline in electricity generated from plant biomass in 2023, which aligns with reported port freight figures. 

The major source of biomass burnt in UK power stations are wood pellets (HMRC Trade statistics). HMRC reported that UK import of wood pellets was down in 2023, which aligns with the port freight traffic decline of other dry bulk. In particular, the UK saw a substantial decline in other dry bulk imports from Canada (-69% in 2023 from 2022). This is likely driven by declines in Canadian wood pellet production affected by the closure of pellet mills and high levels of wildfire activity. Declines in other dry bulk from EU countries also contributed to the overall other dry bulk decline. The UK and the EU sanctioned against imports of wood pellets from Russia, which has impacted European supply chains.

Coal

In 2023, there was an overall 34% decrease in coal handled by UK ports compared to 2022, which was primary driven by a decrease in inwards movements of coal (-37%).

The decrease in coal handling in 2023 was further driven by the closure of 2 of the remaining 3 major UK power producing coal plants, with the last 1 scheduled to close by the end of 2024 (DESNZ Energy Trends).

In 2023, the USA was the largest partner country of coal shipments to the UK, accounting for 25% of all  UK imports. Despite this, UK imports of coal from the USA declined the most, down 52% in 2023 from 2022 (-1.4 million tonnes). UK imports of coal from Russia had the second largest absolute decline from 2022 to 2023, down from 1 million tonnes to 0, following the UK’s banning Russian coal imports in August 2022 (DESNZ Energy Trends).

Other general cargo

Definitions

Forestry products including timber, paper and pulp when shipped as break bulk (cargoes that are carried in unitised form such as palletised, bagged, and crated).

There was an overall decline of 3% in other general cargo in 2023 from 2022. The cargo categories of iron and steel products, and general cargo both decreased 8%, whereas forestry products saw a 10% increase compared to 2022.

Forestry products

Inward movements accounted for the majority of the overall increases in forestry products seen in 2023 with international imports up 7% compared to 2022. Imports from Sweden accounted for 44% of all international imports  of forestry products to the UK and saw the largest absolute increase, up 49% in 2023 from 2022.

Containers

Definitions

Container traffic (also referred to as Lo-Lo traffic) is measured in both tonnes and units, where 1 unit is 1 container, and tonnage measures the weight of the cargo being carried, excluding the weight of the container itself, so an empty container has a weight of 0. TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) is a standardised measure to allow for the different sizes of container boxes.

Transshipment: these statistics collect the port of loading or unloading of the cargo, which may not be the port of ultimate origin or destination. For example, if a ship carrying cargo from Asia unloads/loads the cargo at a European port which is then put on another ship to the UK, our statistics will state the port of load as the European port, rather than the port in Asia.

Deep sea: maritime traffic that crosses oceans. This consists of traffic to and from countries in Africa, America, Asia and Australasia. Mediterranean countries are classed under short sea in the port freight series.

Short sea: maritime traffic that moves cargo along a coast without having to cross an ocean. This consists of traffic to and from the European Union (EU) and ‘Other Europe and Mediterranean’ (Extra-EU) countries.

Overall container tonnage decreased in 2023 from 2022 by 1% to 61.0 million tonnes, while unitised container traffic fell by 6%.

Charts 8 and 9 show trends in deep sea and long sea container trends over the last decade. Overall, short sea container traffic declined by 9% in 2023, down 2.7 million tonnes from 2022. By contrast, deep sea container traffic increased by 8% in 2023 from 2022, up 2.4 million tonnes. Short sea container imports peaked in 2021, reaching the highest level from 2000, while deep sea container imports were at their lowest level since 2012. This opposing trend suggests that more containers were transshipped during the period following the pandemic when container demand was high globally.

Charts 8 and 9: International deep and short sea container tonnage and unitised traffic from 2013 to 2023 (PORT0204)

For tonnage traffic, both imports and exports of deep sea traffic increased in 2023. Imports increased by 7% from 2022 and exports were up 10%. Container imports from China accounted for the majority of the increase seen in deep sea import traffic to the UK in 2023, followed by Singapore. Whereas container exports to India and Singapore accounted for the majority of the increase in UK deep sea container exports in 2023.

Unitised container traffic saw a similar pattern to tonnage trends, with overall deep sea traffic increasing (up 2%) and short sea traffic declining (down 13%) in 2023 from 2022. China and Singapore accounted for the majority of the increase in number of units deep sea traffic to the UK, but the decline seen in short sea traffic was much more widespread across multiple EU countries. When measured in units, container figures include empty containers.

Ro-Ro

Definitions

Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) is cargo that can be moved on to, or off, a vessel either by their own propulsion (such as a passenger car) or with assistance (such as an unaccompanied trailer). For detailed information see the cargo category flowchart.

Ro-Ro is measured in both tonnes and units, where 1 unit is 1 vehicle or trailer, and tonnage measures the weight of the cargo being carried, excluding the weight of the vehicle itself, so an empty unit has a weight of 0.

Accompanied or self propelled are road goods vehicles carrying freight accompanied by the driver on the sea crossing.

Unaccompanied or non-self propelled are road goods vehicles without the accompanied cab, rolled on and off the vessel by port operations and collected by a new driver at the destination port.

Chart 10 shows the trends of unitised Ro-Ro traffic over the last decade. Overall, unitised Ro-Ro traffic increased 6% in 2023 from 2022, continuing to increase following a 17% increase the previous year. In 2023, this increase was driven by import and export motor vehicles (up 19%) and passenger vehicles (up 9%). By contrast, overall Ro-Ro tonnage decreased by 3% in 2023 from 2022, of which unaccompanied roads goods vehicles accounted for the majority of the decline. An increase in freight carrying unitised Ro-Ro, but a decrease in tonnage, may suggest there is more reported vehicle and trailer traffic at UK ports, but that these are carrying less cargo on average.

Chart 10: Roll-on, Roll-off (Ro-Ro) unitised traffic from 2013 to 2023 (PORT0201)

Passenger vehicles was the largest category for Ro-Ro units, which have risen noticeably in recent years following a sharp decline in 2020 due to COVID-19 passenger travel restrictions. The number of roads goods vehicles and unaccompanied goods vehicles remained at a similar level to 2022. Import and export vehicle units had been on a downward trend from 2016, but saw a slight increases in 2022 and 2023.

Accompanied and unaccompanied roads goods vehicles

Tonnage of unaccompanied roads goods vehicles have been steadily increasing from 2013, but decreased by 8% in 2023 from 2022 driven mostly by declines in inward traffic. Whereas tonnage of accompanied roads goods vehicles has declined in the last few years, but increased by 5% in 2023 from 2022. The trend for the last 5 years suggested a shift from accompanied to unaccompanied goods vehicles traffic, while this trend reversed slightly in 2023, road goods vehicle tonnage is still 15% lower than 2019.

Chart 11: Roll-on, Roll-off (Ro-Ro) tonnage traffic from 2013 to 2023 (PORT0201)

Consistent with previous years, France was the UK top partner country for Ro-Ro traffic (accounting for 21%  of all Ro-Ro tonnage at UK ports), of which the majority was accompanied road good vehicles. The second highest partner country in 2023 was The Netherlands (19% of total Ro-Ro tonnage), but the majority of this was from unaccompanied goods vehicles.  

Traffic at the port of Dover accounted for most of the increase of accompanied roads goods traffic in 2023 from 2022, increasing by 0.9 million tonnes, following a drop in previous years. The decline in unaccompanied roads goods vehicles traffic was primarily seen at Liverpool, which saw a decrease of 2.6  million tonnes in 2023 from 2022, largely driven by declines in traffic with the Irish Republic. This may be explained by the closing of the Liverpool-Dublin ferry route by P&O Ferries.     

Import and export vehicles

Tonnage of import and export vehicles increased 10% in 2023 from 2022, driven primarily by imports. The UK saw the largest increase in imports of import and export vehicles from the Netherlands in 2023, up 43% from 2022.

For more detail on routes, go to route information page.

Background information

The tables give further detail of the key results presented in this statistical release. They are available from port and domestic waterborne freight statistics.

These notes provide further information such as definitions and a list of UK ports is available in the accompanying table index.

The background quality report provides further information on how the data is collected, quality assured and comparisons with relevant data sources.

Details of Ministers and officials who receive pre-release access to these statistics up to 24 hours before release can be found on the pre-release access list.

Related data sources

His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publishes data on tonnage and value to a much more granular commodity level for goods traded internationally. Comparisons between port freight and this source, specifically for certain cargo categories, are explored further in our notes and definitions.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (formerly Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) publish the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) which covers the production and consumption of fuels and energy in the UK.

Information on freight moved by different modes, including a breakdown of domestic freight is available in Transport Statistics Great Britain.

Eurostat publish comparative port freight data for European Union countries, which can be used to compare UK ports to those in EU countries.

About these statistics

These official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in December 2018. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled ‘accredited official statistics’.

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