Accredited official statistics

Port freight statistics: 2011 final figures

This publication presents final detailed statistics on freight handled by major UK ports. It updates and expands on provisional statistics published in July 2012.

Documents

Port freight statistics: 2011 final figures

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email webmasterdft@dft.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Port freight statistics: 2011 printable version (includes final figures, statistical summary and tables PORT0101-0307)

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email webmasterdft@dft.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Port freight statistics: 2011 final figures and XLS tables

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email webmasterdft@dft.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

Summary

This publication presents final detailed statistics on freight handled by major UK ports. It updates and expands on provisional statistics published in July 2012. A look-up table cross-referencing tables from the former Maritime Statistics compendium and other printed publications with the new web tables is available with the tables below.

Key points

  • In 2011, total freight traffic through UK ports was 519 million tonnes (Mt), an increase of 1% on 2010, but still 11% below the 2005 level. The traffic handled by UK ports has generally grown fairly steadily over the long term. The first decade of the 21st century saw a levelling off of this trend, albeit with the highest ever traffic recorded in 2005. This was followed by a substantial drop of 11 per cent between 2008 and 2009 with the onset of the recession.
  • Compared with 2010, inwards traffic increased by 5% to 328 Mt, whilst outwards traffic decreased by 4% to 192 Mt.
  • Grimsby and Immingham remained the UK’s leading port in 2011, handling 57 Mt (11% of UK traffic). It was followed by London with 48.8 MT (9%), Milford Haven with 48.7 Mt (9%) and Southampton with 38 Mt (7%).
  • In 2011, UK major ports handled 15.3 million freight units, almost unchanged compared with 2010. They also handled 6.0 million passenger vehicles, a decrease of 4% on 2010.
  • Dover, the top UK port for roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) freight, handled 2 million ro-ro main freight units (road goods vehicles, unaccompanied trailers and shipborne port-to-port trailers).
  • Felixstowe was the UK’s largest container port handling 2 million containers.

Technical information

Technical notes and the pre-release access list on port freight statistics is available.

Contact us

Maritime and shipping statistics

Email maritime.stats@dft.gov.uk

Media enquiries 0300 7777 878

Updates to this page

Published 20 September 2012

Sign up for emails or print this page