National statistics

Port freight annual statistics 2022: Overview of port freight statistics and useful information

Published 19 July 2023

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. 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 lift-on, lift-off (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 transhipment.

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 National Statistics.

Overview of port freight statistics

In 2022, a total of 458.9 million tonnes of cargo were handled at all UK ports, a 3% increase on 2021 but remaining 5% lower than in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic.

Chart 1: Major and minor port traffic from 2000 to 2022 (PORT0101)

Major ports account for the large majority of all UK traffic, handling 449.6 million tonnes in 2022, compared to just 9.3 million tonnes handled by minor ports, as can be seen in Chart 1. Major port traffic increased by 3% in 2022, continuing to recover from the pandemic. Minor port traffic declined by 9% in 2022, reaching the lowest levels seen from 2000.

Chart 2: Major port international freight by direction and domestic freight from 2000 to 2022 (PORT0205)

Chart 2 shows that imported international traffic accounts for the majority of UK tonnage traffic (243.5 million tonnes), followed by international exports (111.6 million tonnes), and finally domestic traffic (94.4 million tonnes). International traffic increased by 4% in 2022, driven mostly by an increase in imports. Domestic traffic increased by just 1% in 2022.

Chart 3: Top 10 major ports by tonnage in 2022 (PORT0301)

Chart 3 shows that London accounted for 12% of all UK tonnage traffic handled in 2022, the most of all UK ports. This was closely followed by Grimsby and Immingham, which accounted for 11%.

Chart 4: UK major port tonnage by cargo group from 2000 to 2021 (PORT0201)

Table 1: UK major port tonnage by cargo group in 2022 and percent changes from 2019 and 2021

Cargo Group	2022 tonnage (million tonnes)	% change from 2021	% change from 2019
Liquid Bulk	180.0	⬆ 11%	⬇ -6%
Ro-Ro	99.1	⬆ 4%	⬇ -5%
Dry Bulk	93.3	⬇ -3%	⬆ 1%
Lo-Lo	61.8	⬇ -3%	⬇ -7%
Other General Cargo	15.4	⬇ -16%	⬇ -9%

Chart 4 show that, while tonnage increased 3% overall in 2022, the trend differs between cargo groups:

• liquid bulk, which accounts for the most tonnage traffic of all cargo groups, has seen a downward trend since 2000 and a substantial increase in 2022 (up 11% from 2021)

• Ro-Ro tonnage increased by 4%, after a 3-year decline, driven mostly by an increase in unaccompanied freight traffic

• dry bulk saw the largest decline in 2022 of 3.2 million tonnes (down 3%) but remained slightly above 2019 levels

• container (Lo-Lo) traffic has been broadly stable and declined slightly (down 3%) in 2022

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.

The port freight statistics are National Statistics. This means they are produced to high professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure they meet customer needs. These statistics were designated as National Statistics in February 2013. The continued designation was confirmed in December 2018. The arrivals statistics included in this release are not National Statistics.

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 (EU) countries, which can be used to compare UK ports to those in EU countries.

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Contact details

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