Accredited official statistics

Port freight quarterly statistics: July to September 2024

Published 11 December 2024

Overview of Quarterly Port Freight Statistics 

When comparing July to September 2024 with July to September 2023 through UK major ports:

• total freight tonnage showed a little decrease to 103.2 million tonnes 

• inward tonnage showed a little decrease to 68.6 million tonnes 

• outward tonnage showed a little decrease to 34.6 million tonnes 

• total volume of unitised traffic increased by 1% to 6 million units 

• inward units increased by 2% to 3.2 million units 

• outward units decreased by 1% to 2.8 million units 

When comparing the rolling year to September 2024 with September 2023 through UK major ports: 

• total tonnage decreased by 3% to 417.8 million tonnes 

• total volume of unitised traffic increased by 1% to 21 million units 

Detailed final annual statistics for 2024 will be published in July 2025. 

This publication includes both accredited official statistics and official statistics in development. For more information, see the about these statistics section.

Chart 1: Quarterly port freight tonnage and units from 2019 (PORT0502)

Chart 1 shows UK quarterly major port freight tonnage and units from 2019 to 2024 . 

Note, the 2021 and 2022 series have been removed from these charts for greater clarity because the trends are very similar to those seen in 2023.

Chart 1 shows that in Q3 (July to September) 2024, the gap to the equivalent quarter in 2019 for tonnage traffic has widened slightly to 10%, but trends remain similar to 2023. There is some evidence that tonnage is not likely to reach 2019 levels, following the United Kingdoms (UK) exit from the European Union (EU), with the OBR Brexit analysis assuming that UK-EU trade will be around 15% lower in the long run than if the UK had remained in the EU. The OBR’s latest evidence on the impact of Brexit on UK trade, published in March 2022, also finds that the UK appears to have become a less trade intensive economy, with trade as a share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) falling 12% since 2019, the largest fall of any G7 country. 

Chart 1 also shows that unitised port freight traffic, including passenger vehicles, has followed the seasonal pattern, and increased by 11% since Q2 (April to June) 2024, to its regular summer peak in Q3. Unitised traffic for Q3 2024 has shown a slight increase compared to Q3 2023 (1% increase), this is still 11% below Q3 2019 level. Seasonal unitised traffic trends largely reflect fluctuations in sea passenger volumes. Sea passenger statistics are available in the sea passenger data collection. 

Port Freight trends by cargo type estimates

Method and coverage

We are trialling publishing estimates of cargo groups alongside the quarterly port freight statistics in PORT0503. The estimates are based on total tonnage and units provided by the port which are validated to a high standard and published as provisional national statistics in PORT0502. These totals are then split by cargo group based on data provided by shipping agents. If no shipping agent data is received for a port, then no estimates can be created. Since Q3 (July to September) 2022, where large amounts of data from a shipping agent is missing in the current quarter, a value has been imputed from the equivalent quarter in the previous year to allow for more accurate national trend analysis. This method is still under development and any feedback from users is welcome by contacting us.

The agents and ports data might not always match due to missing agent data, or differences in how ports and agents categorise certain shipments. During the annual validations process the department carries out extensive matching between these 2 data sources and queries the data providers to finalise the annual dataset. During quarterly validations, only high-level matching is conducted. Therefore, PORT0502, instead of PORT0503, should always be used for accurate trend analysis. 

Nevertheless, as with all the quarterly figures, these estimates are provisional until finalised with the annual publication in the following calendar year, for example 2024 estimates will be finalised in July 2025. 

Chart 2: UK major port freight tonnage traffic by cargo group since 2019 (PORT0503)

  

Chart 2 shows UK quarterly major port tonnage from Q1 (January to March) 2019 to Q3 2024 with different lines for the different cargo group estimates. Liquid bulk is the largest category this quarter and when comparing to the same quarter in the previous year, it has increased for the first time since Q1 2023.  Dry bulk is the primary contributor to the UK’s slight overall decrease in tonnage traffic this quarter compared to Q3 2023. Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) freight and dry bulk often alternate as the second-largest group after liquid bulk; however, Ro-Ro freight has held the second spot consistently over the past four quarters. The trends of each cargo type are discussed in more detail below.   

Chart 3 shows how different cargo estimates have changed for the 3 UK major ports with the largest overall increases in tonnage handled from Q3 2023 to Q3 2024, and Chart 4 shows this for the 3 UK major ports with the largest overall decreases in tonnage handled. 

The figures in the charts in this release are timelier estimates. For high quality trend analysis of cargo groups, please use our 2024 port freight annual statistics when published in July 2025.

Chart 3: The top 3 UK major ports with the largest overall increases in tonnage handled from Q3 2023 to Q3 2024, segmented by cargo group (PORT0503)

Note, some ports do not handle all of the cargo groups in the key. Cargo groups that are not handled at the port will not appear on the chart. 

Chart 4: The top 3 UK major ports with the largest overall decreases in tonnage handled from Q3 2023 to Q3 2024, segmented by cargo group  (PORT0503)

Note, some ports do not handle all of the cargo groups in the key. Cargo groups that are not handled at the port will not appear on the chart. 

Liquid Bulk 

Chart 2 shows that liquid bulk tonnage through UK major ports has increased by 7% to 39.6 million tonnes when comparing Q3 2024 with Q3 2023. 

Chart 3 reveals that the increase in liquid bulk tonnage from Q3 2023 to Q3 2024 was largely driven by Liverpool. The port saw a 1 million tonne rise (a 44% increase) in liquid bulk tonnage during this period, the largest increase in liquid bulk of any UK major port. Forth and Rivers Hull and Humber also had a significant upturn in liquid bulk tonnage in Q3 2024, increasing by 0.5 and 0.4 million tonnes respectively.  

Dry Bulk 

When comparing Q3 2024 with Q3 2023, dry bulk tonnage decreased by 11% to 19.6 million tonnes. This was strongly attributed to a 1.3 million tonnes fall (a 79% decrease) at Port Talbot and a 1.1 million tonnes fall (a 38% decrease) at Grimsby and Immingham, as illustrated in Chart 4. Port Talbot has reported a significant reduction in steel coal and iron ore imports following closure of its blast furnace at the end of Q3 2024 as it moves to electric arc furnace steelmaking. While Chart 3 shows an increase in dry bulk at Hull and Liverpool, these remain relatively small compared to the overall drop nationally.  

Containers 

Container tonnage in Q3 2024 has decreased by 4% to 15 million tonnes compared to the same quarter in 2023. This change was largely driven by Tees & Hartlepool, which saw a 0.2 million tonnes decline (a 37% decrease) in container tonnage during this period, the largest decrease in container tonnage of any UK major port, falling to 0.4 million tonnes.  

When measured in units, container traffic saw an 8% increase in Q3 2024, compared to Q3 2023. This was primarily attributed to a 60,000-unit increase in container volumes at London, as illustrated in Chart 5. Unitised container traffic may have increased whilst container tonnage has decreased because of either a higher number of empty containers being moved or less cargo being carried per container.   

Ro-Ro Freight 

When comparing Q3 2024 with Q3 2023, Ro-Ro freight tonnage increased by 8% to 24 million tonnes. London saw a 0.9 million tonnes rise (a 61% increase) in Ro-Ro freight tonnage during this period, the largest increase in Ro-Ro freight of any UK major port, rising to 2.4 million tonnes.  

Ro-Ro freight unitised traffic saw a 4% increase when compared with Q3 2023. As presented in Chart 5, this was mostly driven by a 36,000-unit increase at Felixstowe. 

Ro-Ro Non-Freight 

In Q3 2024, Ro-Ro non-freight units decreased by 4% to 2.7 million units compared to Q3 2024. While there was a sizeable increase at Portsmouth (44,000-unit increase), as shown in Chart 5, this was offset by greater falls at Tyne and Bristol, as highlighted in Chart 6. Tyne saw a 49,000-unit drop (a 37% decrease) in Ro-Ro non-freight units during this period, closely followed by Bristol which saw a 42,000-unit decrease.  

Since Q2 2024, Ro-Ro non-freight unitised traffic saw an increase of 29% which can be attributed to seasonal variation as shown in Chart 7. 

Chart 5: The top 3 UK major ports with the largest overall increases in units handled from Q3 2023 to Q3 2024, segmented by cargo group  (PORT0503)

Note, some ports do not handle all of the cargo groups in the key. Cargo groups that are not handled at the port will not appear on the chart. 

Chart 6: The top 3 UK major ports with the largest overall decreases in units handled from Q3 2023 to Q3 2024, segmented by cargo group (PORT0503)

Note, some ports do not handle all of the cargo groups in the key. Cargo groups that are not handled at the port will not appear on the chart. 

Chart 7: UK major port freight unitised traffic by cargo group since 2018  (PORT0503)

Chart 7 shows UK quarterly major port units from Q1 2018 to Q3 2024 with different lines for the different cargo group estimates. The relative levels of Ro-Ro freight and Containers are generally stable over this period whilst Ro-Ro non-freight follows a seasonal trend. Between Q2 2024 and Q3 2024, Ro-Ro non-freight unitised traffic saw a 29% increase which is driven by an increase in passenger vehicle traffic in the summer months. This trend is reflected through the increase in sea passengers during this period. 

Further information  

Further information about these statistics is available, including:  

• background information on quarterly port freight statistics

• notes and definitions for all port freight statistics

Please contact MaritimeForecasts@dft.gov.uk if you have any questions about the department’s port freight forecasts.  

Definitions 

Unitised goods: Goods which are lifted on or off the vessel in large (20 foot or longer) shipping containers or rolled on or off in 1 of a variety of self-propelled or towed units are said to be unitised cargoes. For these cargo types, the number of units as well as the weight of goods is recorded. The exception is passenger cars, which don’t carry cargo and therefore we collect only the number of units.  

Tonnage: Gross weight in tonnes, including crates and other packaging. The tare weights of containers, road goods vehicles, trailers and other items of transport equipment (the unloaded weight of the vehicle or equipment itself) are excluded.  

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

Liquified natural gas (LNG): 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. 

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

Lift-on/Lift-of (Lo-Lo): Consists of container traffic. Container (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. 

Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro): 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). Detailed information is available in this category flowchart. 

Ro-Ro freight traffic: All Ro-Ro units that carry cargo, both accompanied and unaccompanied, it 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. 

Ro-Ro non-freight traffic: All other Roll-on/Roll-off traffic that does not carry cargo, such as passenger vehicles, import/export vehicles and unaccompanied caravans. Passenger vehicles are counted in units but do not have a tonnage as they are carrying no cargo, therefore Ro-Ro non-freight tonnage is mostly import/export vehicles. 

Accompanied:Road goods vehicles carrying freight accompanied by the driver on the sea crossing. 

Unaccompanied: 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.

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