Accredited official statistics

Port freight annual statistics 2024: Cargo information

Published 30 July 2025

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 had a general downward trend since 2000. Following a substantial increase in 2022, liquid bulk continued to decline, with a 6.2 million tonne decrease in 2024. Dry bulk had the second largest decline of 3.5 million tonnes, down 4% from 2023. This followed a larger 10% decrease in 2023, from 2022. Container (Lo-Lo) tonnage had the largest absolute increase of any cargo group in 2024, up 2.1 million tonnes. Other general cargo had an increase of 1.9 million tonnes, 13% above 2023 levels.

Chart 5: UK major port tonnage by cargo group from 2014 to 2024 (PORT0201)

Table 1: UK major port tonnage by cargo group in 2024 and percent changes from 2023

Cargo Group	2024 tonnage (million tonnes)	% change from 2023
Liquid Bulk	163.1	- 4%
Ro-Ro	99.3	1%
Dry Bulk	80.9	- 4%
Containers (Lo-Lo)	60.7	4%
Other General Cargo	17.0	13%

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 39% of all tonnage handled at UK major ports in 2024, the highest proportion of all cargo groups. 

Chart 6  shows that all liquid bulk categories declined in 2024, except oil products which increased by 2%.  

Liquified natural gas (LNG) had the largest absolute decline of liquid bulk categories in 2024, down 23%, to 13.9 million tonnes. LNG tonnage increased substantially in 2022 but declined over the following two years. By 2024, LNG had returned to similar levels of those in 2021. 

Oil products overtook crude oil as the largest liquid bulk category in 2024, as it increased to 70.4 million tonnes. Crude oil had the second largest absolute decline in liquid bulk categories, of 3.4 million tonnes, in 2024 and continued its overall downward trend since 2014.

Chart 6: Liquid bulk tonnage trends from 2014 to 2024 (PORT0201)

Liquified natural gas (LNG) 

The decline in LNG accounted for over half of 2024’s overall liquid bulk decrease, and had the largest decrease of the liquid bulk categories. 

In 2024, 95% of all LNG port freight tonnage was moved on international routes. This decrease in LNG was driven by a 25% (3.8 million tonne) decline in imports, while LNG exports only decreased 8% (0.2 million tonnes), from 2023. This aligns with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) reports of LNG imports and exports having fallen in 2024. It was reported that trade of LNG has returned to ‘typical levels’, before the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which had impacted trading patterns since 2022. 

Europe’s LNG demand spiked in 2022 due to reduced Russian gas imports, after the Russia-Ukraine conflict began. The UK has significant regasification capacity and imported large amounts of LNG to convert it to gas, then send to European countries with less regasification infrastructure. Europe has since diversified its gas imports, with other countries expanding or installing infrastructure for LNG. This likely contributed to imported LNG returning to 2021 levels despite the on-going conflict. For more detail on LNG go to DESNZ energy trends collection.   

Over half of the UK’s imports of  LNG came from  the USA in 2024, followed by Norway. LNG imports from the USA fell by 28% to 7 million tonnes, from 2023. The largest absolute increase of imported LNG was from Norway (the UK also imports piped gas from Norway, that is not included in these port freight statistics). DESNZ reported that Norway remained the UK’s largest import source of natural gas in 2024 (Energy Trends).  

Imports of LNG from Norway increased to 1.2 million tonnes in 2024 and overtook Qatar as the second largest country the UK imports LNG from. Qatar had previously been the largest LNG import source to the UK until 2022, when it was overtaken by the USA. DESNZ reported in 2022 that new liquefaction capacity in the USA had increased their export capacity, which contributed to this shift. Qatar fell to the third largest country the UK imported LNG from in 2024, to less than 1 million tonnes, after a further decline. 

Milford Haven handled over half of the LNG moved through all UK ports in 2024 (8 million tonnes), consistent with previous years. Milford Haven, followed by Medway, had the largest declines in LNG tonnage. Movements of LNG through Milford Haven fell by 19% (1.9 million tonnes) and Medway by 50% (1.8 million tonnes).

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

Crude Oil 

Crude oil had the second largest decline of the liquid bulk categories in 2024, down 3.4 million tonnes. International movements of crude oil tonnage declined by just 1% in 2024, but imports and exports had different trends.  

UK exports of crude oil decreased by 2.2 million tonnes (11%).  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, consistent with global declines in demand for crude oil. Grangemouth announced the closure of Scotland’s only oil refinery by summer 2025, due to decreased demand. Forth, the UK major port nearest Grangemouth oil refinery, had the largest decline in exported crude oil of all ports (1.4 million tonnes) in 2024 and accounted for over half of the UK’s decline in crude oil exports. Imports of crude oil increased by 5% (1.8 million tonnes), from 2023. The decline in UK crude oil production likely resulted in more reliance on imports (DESNZ Energy Trends).   

Domestic movements of crude oil declined substantially, down 3 million tonnes (20%), from 2023. Reduced domestic production may have contributed to decreased domestic movements, with less crude oil available to move to other UK ports.   

Grimsby & Immingham had the largest overall decline in crude oil tonnage of any UK port in 2024, with a 38% decrease to 3 million tonnes. Imports of crude oil accounted for almost all of this decline. Crude oil imports to Grimsby & Immingham from the Americas decreased the most of all regions, down 0.7 million tonnes, followed by Other Europe & Mediterranean which decreased 0.5 million tonnes.

Oil Products 

Oil products handled by UK ports increased by 1.3 million tonnes (2%) to 70.4 million tonnes, in 2024. Domestic movements accounted for 15.5 million tonnes of the UK’s total oil products tonnage. International movements of oil products increased by 4% to 54.9 million tonnes. Exports increased by 1.3 million tonnes (6%) while imports of oil products increased by 0.6 million tonne (2%). 

Increases of imported oil products were largely driven by routes from the Americas in 2024. Oil products imported from the USA had the largest increase of any American country in 2024, of 1.6 million tonnes (49%) and accounted for the majority of oil products. This followed a substantial increase in 2023, where imported oil products from the USA rose by 1.5 million tonnes. This likely reflected a shift from Russian to USA imports of oil products, following an EU ban that came into force for Russian petroleum products during Q1 (January to March) of 2023 (Government legislation). The UK had no imports of oil from Russia in 2024. 

The EU handled the most oil products tonnage of any region, 33.7 million tonnes, in 2024. It had the largest increase in exported oil products from the UK, up 1.6 million tonnes (10%) from 2023. The Netherlands accounted for almost half of the UK’s exports of oil products, the most of any EU country. It also had the largest increase in exports in 2024, up to 8.5 million tonnes (46%). 

Of all UK major ports, Milford Haven handled the most oil products (16 million tonnes), followed by London (11.9 million tonnes) and Grimsby & Immingham (11.5 million tonnes). Grimsby & Immingham had the largest absolute increase in oil products in 2024, which rose by 0.8 million tonnes (7%), driven by increased imports.

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 tonnage handled by UK ports declined 4% in 2024, driven by coal and ores, both decreasing by 1.9 million tonnes. Other dry bulk was the only dry bulk category to increase in 2024, up by 2% (1 million tonnes). 

Chart 7 shows trends in dry bulk categories, from 2014 to 2024. Other dry bulk remained the largest dry bulk category and has had a general upward trend since 2014, despite a dip during the pandemic in 2020 and some fluctuations since. Coal declined sharply between 2014 and 2016, but levels have stabilised, and coal has remained the smallest dry bulk category after 2019. Agricultural products had a relatively stable trend over the past decade, with small fluctuations during this period. Ores remained at similar levels from 2014 to 2021, with a downward trend since 2021.

Chart 7: Dry bulk tonnage trends from 2014 to 2024 (PORT0201)

Other Dry Bulk

In 2024, other dry bulk was the only dry bulk category to increase, by 1.0 million tonnes, to 54.6 million tonnes.  Other dry bulk has been the largest dry bulk category since 2015, driven by changes in energy production in the UK, moving away from coal towards biomass (categorised under other dry bulk). DESNZ Energy Trends reported an increase in electricity generated from plant biomass in 2024  which aligned with these port freight figures. DESNZ reported the use of plant biomass returned to more usual levels, following reduced output at two major plants in 2022 and 2023. 

The major source of biomass burnt in UK power stations are typically wood pellets (HMRC Trade statistics). Forest Research reported that UK imports of wood pellets increased by 46% in 2024, which aligns with the port freight increase in other dry bulk.  

The USA became the UK’s largest source of other dry bulk imports in 2024, after imports from the USA increased 2 million tonnes (41%) to 7 million tonnes. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported the UK wood pellet market grew in 2024, after falling in 2022 and 2023 due to global price shifts and changes in demand for other energy sources. Demand for wood pellets is linked to government policies focused on renewable energy targets. 

Domestic movements accounted for 21.6 million tonnes (40%) of total other dry bulk handled by UK ports in 2024. Internal movements of dry bulk are typically aggregates (such as sand, gravel and stone).

Coal 

In 2024, there was a 29% decrease in tonnage of coal handled by UK ports, to 4.8 million tonnes. International trade of coal accounted for almost all of coal movements and imports drove the decline. Coal imports fell by 2 million tonnes, from 2023, down to 3.3 million tonnes. 

DESNZ reported that coal imports fell by 49% in 2024, aligning with port freight figures. This reflects the decrease in demand, where the UK saw a 55% fall in coal used in electricity generation. The last remaining coal-fired power station in the UK closed in September 2024. Coal use has been phased out as electricity generation now favours gas, nuclear and renewables (DESNZ Energy Trends).

Ores 

Tonnage of ores handled by UK ports decreased by 1.9 million tonnes (14%)  to 11.4 million tonnes in 2024. International movements of ores accounted for almost all of the tonnage handled and therefore the decline.  Imports had a large decline of 3.2 million tonnes, whereas exports increased by 1.5 million tonnes, resulting in an overall decrease.  

Imports of ores at Port Talbot accounted for 87% of the UK’s decrease following the closure of the UK’s final blast furnace, used for steelmaking, in 2024. 

Exports to Turkey accounted for over half of the UK increase, with it being reported that Turkey increased steel production in 2024 and therefore imported more ores & scrap.

Agricultural products 

The UK had an overall decline of 0.7 million tonnes (6%) of agricultural products in 2024. Imports and exports had different trends, where imports increased by 22% (1.6 million tonnes) and exports decreased by 72% (1.5 million tonnes). 

The UK exported substantially less agricultural products to Spain in 2024, down 90% (0.8 million tonnes), from 2023. Some news outlets reported that Spain has now become the largest importer of Ukrainian agricultural products and it is therefore likely their demand for the UK’s agricultural products has declined.

Other general cargo

Other general cargo increased by 1.9 million tonnes (13%), to 17.0 million tonnes in 2024, driven by iron and steel products.  

Iron and Steel products 

In 2024, iron and steel increased by 34% (1.8 million tonnes), to 7.0 million tonnes. Almost all of this increase was accounted for by imports, which rose 1.7 million tonnes.   

This increase may be a result of a decrease in domestic production of Steel, following the  closure of the UK’s final blast furnace in 2024.

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.

In 2024, the number of containers (units) handled by UK ports increased 5% and the tonnage of cargo in those containers increased 4%.  

Charts 8 and 9 show deep sea and short sea container trends over the last decade.

Charts 8 and 9: International deep and short sea container tonnage and unitised traffic from 2014 to 2024 (PORT0204)

For container tonnage traffic, only imports of deep sea traffic increased in 2024. Deep sea imports increased by 2.2 million tonnes (11%) and reached the highest levels seen in this time series, of 22.4 million tonnes. Container imports from China accounted for the majority of the increase in deep sea import traffic to the UK in 2024. 

Deep sea exports have generally declined from 2014, despite some fluctuations. This decline continued in 2024 when exports decreased by 2%.  

Short sea container imports peaked in 2021, whilst in the same year deep sea container imports were at their lowest level (since 2012). This opposing trend suggests that more containers were transshipped (cargo is transferred onto another ship during its journey) during the period following the pandemic, when container demand was high globally.

In 2024, short sea imports and exports of container tonnage remained at similar levels to those in 2023. In contrast, when measuring container in units, short and deep sea routes increased in both directions, with deep sea having a larger increase overall.

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 remained at a similar level to 2023. Ro-Ro units increased 1% in 2024, following larger increases seen in the last few years.  

Chart 10: Roll-on, Roll-off (Ro-Ro) unitised traffic from 2014 to 2024 (PORT0201)

Passenger vehicles was the largest category for Ro-Ro units in 2024, which rose noticeably in recent years, following a sharp decline in 2020 due to COVID-19 passenger travel restrictions. The number of road goods vehicles and unaccompanied goods vehicles remained at a similar level to 2023. Import and export vehicle units remained stable in 2024, following a downward trend from 2016, then slight increases in 2022 and 2023. 

Similarly, overall  Ro-Ro tonnage rose by 1% in 2024, of which unaccompanied roads goods vehicles accounted for the majority of the increase. 

Accompanied and unaccompanied roads goods vehicles

In 2024, tonnage moved in accompanied and unaccompanied road goods vehicles remained at a similar level to 2023. The general trend from 2016 to 2022 had suggested a shift from accompanied to unaccompanied Ro-Ro; where tonnage of unaccompanied road goods vehicles had been steadily increasing as accompanied road goods vehicles was steadily decreasing.

Chart 11: Roll-on, Roll-off (Ro-Ro) tonnage traffic from 2014 to 2024 (PORT0201)

Consistent with previous years, France was the UK’s top partner country for Ro-Ro traffic and accounted for 21% of total Ro-Ro moved through UK ports in 2024. Most Ro-Ro traffic between the UK and France was accompanied road goods vehicles, as the shortest crossings between the UK and mainland Europe this makes these routes suitable for accompanied Ro-Ro traffic. 

The second highest partner country for Ro-Ro traffic in 2024 was The Netherlands, which accounted for 18.9 million tonnes (19%) of total Ro-Ro traffic, most of which was from unaccompanied goods vehicles. Routes to The Netherlands are typically longer crossings and therefore more suitable for unaccompanied Ro-Ro traffic. 

P&O Ferries opened a new Ro-Ro route between London and Rotterdam in March 2024, which may account for the increase seen in Ro-Ro traffic moving between UK and The Netherlands in 2024. Overall, London had an increase of 0.7 million tonnes in Ro-Ro traffic from 2023, the largest of any UK port, while the London-Netherlands route had a 0.4 million tonnes increase. 

Despite an overall increase in Ro-Ro traffic, some UK ports had notable decreases in 2024. Holyhead and Harwich had the largest decreases, both down by 0.4 million tonnes. Unaccompanied road goods vehicles accounted for majority of the decline at Harwich, but both accompanied and unaccompanied contributed to Holyhead’s decrease. Holyhead port closed in December 2024 following storm damage, which contributed to the overall decline. 

Despite Stena Line opening a dedicated freight service route between Liverpool and Dublin in February 2024, which it was reported boosted capacity by 30%, Ro-Ro traffic handled between Liverpool and the Irish Republic declined by 29%, in 2024. This followed a substantial decline of 31% in 2023. Unaccompanied road goods vehicles declined in both years, whereas both accompanied and unaccompanied road goods vehicles contributed to the decreased in 2024. 

Domestic movements of Ro-Ro increased 26%, driven mostly by accompanied road goods vehicles. The trend may suggest a preference for NI-GB routes for moving freight across the Irish sea to reduce post-Brexit customs procedures, particularly if the ultimate origin/destination of the goods is Northern Ireland.

Import and Export vehicles 

Import and export vehicles had a 2% decline in tonnage in 2024. Exports decreased 12% from 2023, while imports had a slight increase of 4%.

Increases in imports from regions Asia and Other Europe & Mediterranean countries drove the overall increase in UK imports. A decline in exports to the EU accounted for over half of the UK’s total decrease in exports of import/export vehicles.  

For imports, Belgium was the top partner country, followed closely by Germany which accounted for 40% of UK’s total vehicle imports when combined. For exports, the USA alone accounted for 37% of the UK’s exports of motor vehicles.

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 port list.

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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