National statistics

Sea passenger statistics: notes and definitions

Published 17 November 2021

These statistics present all sea passenger movements to and from the UK on both domestic and international routes.

The statistics support the work of the DfT Maritime Directorate, including the Security and Resilience Programme. They also support the ONS International Passenger Survey.

Short sea, long sea and cruise data are collected under the Statistical Returns Carriage of Goods and Passengers by Sea) Regulation 1997 SI 1997 No: 2330 covering the carriage of goods and passengers by sea.

Publication information

Sea passenger statistics: Short sea routes (provisional): This statistical release is published in February following the calendar year end to which the data relates, and presents statistics on short sea passengers to and from the UK, including:

  • international short sea routes
  • domestic short sea major routes

Sea passenger statistics: all routes (final): This statistical release is published in November following the calendar year end to which the data relates and includes the previously published data, in addition to:

  • international long sea routes
  • international cruises
  • domestic short sea minor routes
  • domestic river crossings
  • domestic inter-island routes

Provisional international short sea passenger figures are published 6 weeks after the month end to which the data relates.

All sea passenger statistics are published through the maritime and shipping series.

Definitions

International sea passengers are defined as passengers travelling on:

Short sea routes: all ferry routes between Great Britain or Northern Ireland and the rest of Europe.

Long sea routes: all one-way scheduled voyages to and from ports outside Europe and the Mediterranean. Passengers traveling on cargo vessels (one-way) are not included.

Cruises: includes all passengers on international cruise journeys who start or finish their cruise journey at a UK port, as well as cruises between a UK port and a European or Mediterranean port. Passengers passing through on transit calls are not included.

Domestic sea passengers are defined as passengers travelling on:

Short sea routes: these can be major or minor routes

Inter-island routes: routes between the mainland and UK islands, such as Isle of Skye and the Isle of Wight. Also included are internal ferry routes on lochs such as Strangford to Portaferry in Northern Ireland.

River ferries: inland waterway routes with over 500 passenger kilometres on vessels of over 100 gross tonnes, travelling distances greater than 500 metres on a single ferry.

Short sea routes can either be:

Major routes: routes between Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, the Channel Islands.

Minor routes: all other short sea routes, including routes between Great Britain and the Orkney and Shetland Islands.

Collection and methodology

Short sea passengers

Data is collected from ferry operators for vessels over 100 gross tonnes, and validated on a monthly basis. Passengers counted include drivers of lorries, coaches and other vehicles and their passengers. At the end of the reference year, the annual data is validated for a final time for publication.

The monthly short sea collection is a statutory return collected under the Statistical Returns Carriage of Goods and Passengers by Sea Regulations 1997 (S.I. No. 2330).

The proportion allocation of passengers between some routes is occasionally estimated.

International passenger numbers collected include passengers on routes beginning or ending in Great Britain or Norther Ireland. Routes with foreign countries beginning or ending in the Channel Islands or Isle of Man are not included.

Some passengers travel between Great Britain and St Malo in France by going to the Channel Islands on one vessel and then transferring to another. Prior to 2016, where these passengers could be distinguished from other traffic, they were subtracted from the domestic route with the Channel Islands and added to the direct international route between Great Britain and France. From 2016 onwards, these passenger numbers are attributed to the domestic route with the Channel Islands rather than the direct international route. The main routes affected are the Poole to St Malo route and the Weymouth to St Malo route. In recent years, these routes accounted for less than 0.1% of the total international short sea traffic.

Inter-island ferry passengers

Data from crossings between the Channel Islands is collected and validated as part of the monthly short sea passenger collection, described above.

Data for crossings to Orkney and Shetland and Scottish inter-island routes is annually supplied by the Scottish Government. These data sets are checked in detail by the Department for Transport statisticians and considered to be very robust. Occasionally, data is revised in response to further information being submitted later in the year.

Some of the routes provided by the Scottish Government are not included in the final database as they do not meet the set criteria. For example, information relating to the Appin to Lismore route and the Camusnagaul to Fort William is not included as the vessels used are under 100 gross tonnes.

International cruise and long sea passengers

Data is supplied by operators, typically on annual basis and is regularly reviewed.

Occasionally, a small amount of data is imputed where operators do not provide returns. The data are considered to be fit for purpose- comparison with industry figures show similar trends although the annual totals can differ.

Long sea passenger numbers can fluctuate greatly over time, in part because operators can use these trips to reposition vessels around the world as needed. Data supplied by operators are compared against ship schedules to ensure long sea voyages are not incorrectly entered as cruise voyages, and vice versa.

River ferry passengers

Data is collected annually from operators and council government sources.

Data is only collected on inland waterway routes with over 500 passenger kilometres on vessels over 100 gross tonnes, travelling distances greater than 500 metres in a single ferry.

Although there have been occasional changes in operator reporting methods, the data are considered to be fit for purpose.

These routes are not covered by the legal requirement to provide data on passengers on sea crossing routes. Operators are not legally required to provide us with this data.

Every 5 years, the ‘non-survey’ routes are updated. These are only used to calculate passenger kilometres and are not part of the normal collection or outputs.

Route coverage

Routes collected and included in our current statistics are outlined in the tables below. Routes in bold operated in 2020 but the other routes operated in previous years and therefore are included in published tables.

International short sea routes

UK Port Direction International Port Operated in 2020?
Dover to Boulogne No
Dover to Calais Yes
Dover to Dunkirk Yes
Felixstowe to Vlaardingen Yes
Fishguard to Rosslare Harbour Yes
Harwich to Cuxhaven No
Harwich to Esbjerg No
Harwich to Europoort No
Harwich to Hook of Holland Yes
Harwich to La Spezia No
Harwich to Paldiski No
Harwich to Rotterdam Yes
Harwich to Turku Yes
Heysham to Dublin Yes
Holyhead to Dublin Yes
Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire No
Hull to Europoort Yes
Hull to Zeebrugge Yes
Immingham to Antwerp Yes
Immingham to Brevik Yes
Immingham to Cuxhaven Yes
Immingham to Esbjerg Yes
Immingham to Frekstad No
Immingham to Gothenburg Yes
Immingham to Halden No
Immingham to Hamburg No
Immingham to Hook of Holland No
Immingham to Kristiansand No
Immingham to Moss No
Immingham to Oslo No
Immingham to Rotterdam No
Immingham to Vlaardingen Yes
Immingham to Zeebrugge No
Ipswich to Rotterdam No
Killingholme to Hook of Holland Yes
Killingholme to Rotterdam Yes
Killingholme to Zeebrugge Yes
Liverpool to Dublin Yes
Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Ijmuiden Yes
Newhaven to Dieppe Yes
Pembroke to Rosslare Harbour Yes
Plymouth to Bilbao Yes
Plymouth to Caen No
Plymouth to Roscoff Yes
Plymouth to Santander Yes
Plymouth to St Malo No
Poole to Cherbourg Yes
Poole to Santander No
Poole to St Malo No
Portsmouth to Bilbao Yes
Portsmouth to Caen Yes
Portsmouth to Cherbourg Yes
Portsmouth to Le Havre Yes
Portsmouth to Roscoff No
Portsmouth to Rouen No
Portsmouth to Santander Yes
Portsmouth to St Malo Yes
Purfleet to Esbjerg No
Purfleet to Leixoes No
Purfleet to Rotterdam Yes
Purfleet to Zeebrugge Yes
Ramsgate to Calais Yes
Ramsgate to Ostend No
Rosyth to Zeebrugge No
Swansea to Cork No
Teesport to Europoort Yes
Teesport to Zeebrugge Yes
Tilbury to Calais No
Tilbury to Gothenburg No
Tilbury to Zeebrugge Yes
Weymouth to St Malo No

Domestic short sea routes

Port 1 Direction Port 2 Operated in 2020?
Birkenhead to Douglas, Isle of Man No
Cairnryan to Belfast Yes
Cairnyan to Larne Yes
Heysham to Belfast Yes
Heysham to Douglas, Isle of Man Yes
Heysham to Warrenpoint Yes
Liverpool to Belfast Yes
Liverpool to Douglas, Isle of Man Yes
Northern Ireland to Isle of Man Yes
Mainland Scotland to Orkney No
Mainland Scotland to Shetland No
Penzance to Hugh Town No
Poole to St Helier, Jersey Yes
Poole to St Peter Port, Guernsey Yes
Portsmouth to St Helier, Jersey Yes
Portsmouth to St Peter Port, Guernsey Yes
Troon to Larne No
Waverley Cruises to Various departure and arrival points throughout the UK No
Weymouth to St Helier, Jersey No
Weymouth to St Peter Port, Guernsey No

Inter-island routes

Port 1 Direction Port 2 Operated in 2020?
Androssan to Brodick Yes
Ballycastle (NI) to Rathlin (NI) Yes
Claonaigh/Tarbert to Lochranza Yes
Clintraive to Rhubodach Yes
Cowes to East Cowes Yes
Corran Ferry to Various departure and arrival points on Loch Linnhe No
Cuan to Luing Yes
Fionnphort to Iona Yes
Gourock to Dunoon Yes
Gourock to Kilcreggan Yes
Gutcher to Yell-Oddsta, Fetlar Yes
Houston to Lyness Yes
Islay to Feolin (Jura) Yes
Kennacraig to Islay Yes
Kirkwall to Stronsay Yes
Kirkwall to Shapinsay Yes
Largs to Cumbrae Slip Yes
Laxo or Vidlin to Symbister, Whalsay Yes
Lerwick to Bressay Yes
Lochaline to Fishnish Yes
Lyminton to Yarmouth Yes
Mallaig to Amadale Yes
Nether Lochaber to Ardgour Yes
Oban to Craignure Yes
Oban to Castlebay-Lochboisdale Yes
Oban to Coll-Tiree Yes
Otternish to Leverburgh Yes
Portsmouth to Fishbourne Yes
Portsmouth to Ryde Yes
Sconser to Raasay Yes
Seil to Easdale Yes
Southampton to East Cowes Yes
Southampton to Cowes Yes
Southsea to Ryde Yes
Stangford (NI) to Portaferry (NI) Yes
Stromness to Graemesay Yes
Tarbert to Portavadie Yes
Tayinloan to Gigha Yes
Tingwall to Rousay Yes
Toft, Mainland to Ulsta, Yell Yes
Uig to Tarbert Yes
Ullapool to Stornoway Yes
Wemyss Bay to Rothesay Yes
Other Scottish west coast routes to Unspecified Yes
Other Shetland routes to Unspecified Yes

In the inter-island routes:

  • “other Scottish West Coast routes” include Oban to Kennacraigh or Colansay or Lismore, Barra to Eriskey, Mallaig to Eigg or Much or Rum or Canna, Tobermory to Kilchoan
  • “other Shetland routes” include routes to and from Skerries and Papa Stour

River ferries

Port 1 Direction Port 2 Operated in 2020?
Battersea to London Bridge Yes
Devonport to Torpoint Yes
Embankment to Woolwich Yes
Embankment to Greenwich Yes
Hilton Docklands to Canary Wharf Yes
Liverpool to Birkenhead Yes
Portsmouth to Gosport Yes
Putney to Blackfriars Yes
Sandbanks to Shell Bay Yes
Southampton to Hythe Yes
Westminster to Greenwich Yes
Westminster to Hampton Court Yes
Westminster to St Katharine’s Dock Yes
Westminster to Thames Barrier Yes
Woolwich to London Eye (Thames Clipper) Yes
Woolwich to North Woolwich Yes