Port freight annual statistics 2023: Overview of port freight statistics and useful information
Published 17 July 2024
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You can use our maritime interactive dashboard to explore port freight trends.
Things you need to know
This statistical release provides information on freight handled at UK sea ports. Port freight statistics are based on a combination of data reported to the Department for Transport (DfT) by port authorities and shipping lines, or their agents.
Ports are split into major and minor ports. In 2023, there are 51 major ports, which handle at least 1 million tonnes of cargo annually or are strategically important. Most of this publication covers major port data, as more detail is collected from these ports, such as cargo category and route taken.
Cargo is categorised based on how goods are loaded onto or off the vessel.
Definitions
Unitised traffic: only container (Lo-Lo) and roll-on, roll-off (Ro-Ro) freight services can be measured in units, which relates to how the cargo was contained. For example, a shipping container, a trailer, or a passenger car is 1 unit. Apart from passenger vehicles, all unitised traffic can also be measured in tonnage. All other categories (liquid bulk, dry bulk and other general cargo) are only measured in tonnage.
Bulk cargo: unpackaged and transported in large quantities, either in liquid or granular form, in the hold of the vessel. Examples include crude oil, coal and gravel. This is typically dropped or poured into a hold, and is unloaded via suctions, screw or grabber. See the cargo categorisation guidance for detail on the categorisation of types of cargo.
Inwards and outwards: refers to the direction of travel at UK ports, and includes both domestic (for example, traffic between Liverpool and Belfast) and international traffic (imports and exports). The port of loading or unloading is also recorded, which refers to the port where the cargo is loaded or unloaded from the ship. This may not be the port of ultimate origin or destination of the goods. For example, if a ship carrying cargo from Asia unloads 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. This practice of cargo changing ship is known as transshipment.
Information is also available on the ship type and the number of times ships arrived at UK ports (see PORT06 tables). This part of the publication is outside the scope of accredited official statistics.
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.
Overview of port freight statistics
In 2023, all UK ports handled a total of 434.9 million tonnes, reaching the lowest levels seen since 2000. Tonnage has declined 5% from 2022 and is down 10% since 2019, that is before the coronavirus pandemic.
Major ports account for the majority of all UK traffic, handling 425.9 million tonnes in 2023, compared to just 9 million tonnes handled by minor ports, as shown in Chart 1 . Compared to 2022, major port traffic decreased by 5% in 2023, falling to below pandemic levels, despite some post-pandemic recovery seen in the last couple of years.
Minor port traffic declined by 3% in 2023 from 2022, reaching the lowest levels seen from 2000.
Chart 1: Major and minor port traffic from 2000 to 2023 (PORT0101)
UK Major Port Traffic
Chart 2 shows that imported international traffic accounts for the majority of UK major port tonnage traffic (231 million tonnes), followed by international exports (102.9 million tonnes), and finally domestic traffic (91.9 million tonnes). Compared to 2022, international traffic decreased by 6% in 2023, driven by a decline in both imports and exports. Domestic traffic decreased by 3% in 2023 from 2022.
Chart 2: Major port international freight by direction and domestic freight from 2000 to 2023 (PORT0205)
Chart 3 shows that London accounted for 12% of all UK major port tonnage traffic handled in 2023 – this is the most of all UK ports and consistent with previous years. This was closely followed by Grimsby and Immingham, which accounted for 11% of all tonnage traffic in 2023. The top 10 sea ports accounted for 69% of all cargo traffic at UK major ports in 2023.
Chart 3: Top 10 major ports by tonnage in 2023 (PORT0301)
Chart 4 and Table 1 show trends in UK major port tonnage by cargo group. While overall tonnage declined 5% in 2023 from 2022, the size of this decline differs between cargo groups. Further details are reported in the cargo information report, but in summary:
- liquid bulk, the largest cargo category, has seen a general downward trend since 2000. Following a substantial increase in 2022, liquid bulk saw the largest absolute annual decline of all cargo groups in 2023 of 10.8 million tonnes
- 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% from 2022 to 2023, compared to a 4% increase seen from 2021 to 2022
- container (Lo-Lo) traffic has been broadly stable and declined only slightly from 2022 to 2023
Chart 4: UK major port tonnage by cargo group from 2000 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% |
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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