New analysis of Department for Transport figures by Cleveland Containers, a leading supplier of shipping containers, has revealed how freight tonnage and vessel arrivals at the UK’s major ports have changed over the last five years, at a time when global shipping routes have faced some of the most significant disruption in recent memory.
Sustained attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea have forced the majority of major carriers to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, adding considerable time and cost to voyages between Asia and the UK.
Separately, the Strait of Hormuz has seen repeated closures, attacks on vessels and extended periods where ships were unable to transit safely, trapping hundreds of container ships in the Persian Gulf at points during the disruption and removing a large share of global shipping capacity from circulation. With around 85% of the UK’s international freight by weight moved by sea, it’s understandable that disruption on this scale has been felt at British ports.
Andrew Thompson, CEO at Cleveland Containers, part of Cleveland Group, highlights how the figures show that disruption is not being experienced evenly across the UK port network.
“Global shipping has become far less predictable over the last two years, and that is starting to show up clearly in the data,” he said. “Some ports are absorbing a lot more traffic than they were twelve months ago, while others are seeing volumes fall back. For businesses that depend on imported materials and components, knowing which ports are under the most pressure is becoming just as important as knowing the national picture.”
UK Port Freight Down Amid Wider Import and Export Pressures
The most recent quarterly figures from the Department for Transport showing total freight tonnage handled by UK major ports fell by 3% year on year, driven largely by a 7% fall in outward tonnage, while inward tonnage remained comparatively stable.
Thompson touched on how the gap between import and export performance reflects wider pressure on UK trade. “Imports have held up reasonably well, but the fall in outward tonnage points to UK exporters facing real difficulty getting goods to international markets,” he said. “Longer transit times, higher freight rates and rising insurance costs all make UK exports less competitive and more expensive to ship, and that is reflected in the figures we are seeing.”
Established Hubs Still Handle the Greatest Volumes
London remains the UK’s busiest major port by tonnage over the last five years, followed by Grimsby & Immingham, Tees & Hartlepool, Milford Haven and Southampton.
Top 10 UK Major Ports by Freight Tonnage Traffic, 2020 to 2024:
London (Thames and Kent) – 2,680,072,000 tonnes
Grimsby & Immingham (Humber) – 2,287,289,000 tonnes
Tees & Hartlepool (North East) – 1,960,475,000 tonnes
Milford Haven (West and North Wales) – 1,849,171,000 tonnes
Southampton (Sussex and Hampshire) – 1,648,756,000 tonnes
Forth (Scotland East Coast) – 1,516,917,000 tonnes
Liverpool (Lancs and Cumbria) – 1,366,162,000 tonnes
Sullom Voe (Scotland East Coast) – 1,211,628,000 tonnes
Felixstowe (Haven) – 999,022,000 tonnes
Dover (Thames and Kent) – 836,980,000 tonnes
Several of these ports sit alongside major energy or industrial infrastructure, which helps explain their consistent position at the top of the tonnage rankings. Milford Haven and Forth handle substantial volumes of liquid bulk, a category that has been in long term decline nationally following the closure of facilities including the Lindsey oil refinery and Grangemouth, however it remains substantial enough at these locations to keep them inside the top five.
Top 10 UK Major Ports by Number of Ship Arrivals, 2020 to 2024:
Dover (Thames and Kent) – 78,207 vessels
Grimsby & Immingham (Humber) – 32,586 vessels
London (Thames and Kent) – 30,883 vessels
Liverpool (Lancs and Cumbria) – 28,221 vessels
Belfast (Northern Ireland) – 26,228 vessels
Southampton (Sussex and Hampshire) – 15,737 vessels
Tees & Hartlepool (North East) – 14,722 vessels
Holyhead (West and North Wales) – 14,523 vessels
Portsmouth (Sussex and Hampshire) – 12,547 vessels
Orkney (Scotland East Coast) – 12,272 vessels
Dover, Holyhead and Portsmouth’s presence in this list, alongside Belfast, is mostly due the UK’s vessel traffic is built on short sea and ferry routes connecting Britain to Ireland and mainland Europe, rather than long haul container services. These ports, built around frequent short crossings, are less exposed to global shipping disruption such as the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz routing changes than those handling long distance container traffic from Asia.
Where the Pressure Is Building
With several ports recording substantial year on year increases in 2024, this suggests traffic is being redistributed across the network.
Top 10 UK Major Ports by Freight Tonnage Traffic, 2024 Year on Year Growth:
Cromarty Firth (Scotland East Coast) – 682,000 tonnes (up 101.34%)
Swansea (Bristol Channel) – 459,000 tonnes (up 76.31%)
Newport (Bristol Channel) – 3,408,000 tonnes (up 49.83%)
Tyne (North East) – 3,639,000 tonnes (up 40.00%)
Cardiff (Bristol Channel) – 1,506,000 tonnes (up 36.23%)
Londonderry (Northern Ireland) – 2,426,000 tonnes (up 33.28%)
Sunderland (North East) – 741,000 tonnes (up 16.45%)
Hull (Humber) – 9,124,000 tonnes (up 11.72%)
Liverpool (Lancs and Cumbria) – 31,284,000 tonnes (up 9.57%)
Southampton (Sussex and Hampshire) – 33,259,000 tonnes (up 8.63%)
Three Bristol Channel ports, Swansea, Newport and Cardiff, all feature among the ten fastest growing for tonnage, alongside Tyne and Sunderland on the North East coast.
Commenting on the regional clustering, Thompson said, “When growth is concentrated in a particular stretch of coastline rather than spread evenly across the country, it tends to point to specific commercial or infrastructure factors at play locally, rather than a single national trend. Businesses sourcing materials through ports in these areas may want to ask their suppliers directly how that growth is affecting lead times.”
Top 10 UK Major Ports by Number of Ship Arrivals, 2024 YOY Growth:
Cromarty Firth (Scotland East Coast) – 150 vessels (up 54.64%)
Cardiff (Bristol Channel) – 241 vessels (up 46.06%)
Swansea (Bristol Channel) – 120 vessels (up 39.53%)
Londonderry (Northern Ireland) – 369 vessels (up 31.79%)
Peterhead (Scotland East Coast) – 147 vessels (up 19.51%)
Tyne (North East) – 850 vessels (up 12.29%)
Fishguard (West and North Wales) – 646 vessels (up 11.96%)
Liverpool (Lancs and Cumbria) – 5,477 vessels (up 10.60%)
Manchester (Lancs and Cumbria) – 1,271 vessels (up 10.33%)
Glensanda (Scotland West Coast) – 139 vessels (up 7.75%)
Liverpool and Southampton stand out from the rest of the ports in the 2024 YOY growth lists. Commenting on their appearance in both the tonnage and vessel arrival growth tables, Thompson shared, “This carries more weight than the smaller percentage rises elsewhere, given the scale they already operate at. A high percentage increase at a smaller port can reflect a single new contract or service starting up. However, when ports of Liverpool and Southampton’s size show growth across both tonnage and vessel numbers in the same year, that is a sign of a genuine shift in how shipping capacity is being used nationally, not a low base effect.”
Hidden Costs Behind the Headline Figures
Offering his insight on what’s behind the headline tonnage and vessel numbers, Thompson said, “Businesses should be aware of the less visible costs that build up when shipping routes become unpredictable. Demurrage and detention charges, increased inventory holding costs, and pressure on working capital from longer cash conversion cycles can all add up to a far greater commercial impact than the freight rate increase alone.
“Businesses often calculate the cost of disruption in terms of the direct shipping increase,” Thompson said. “What sometimes gets underestimated by businesses, is what happens when that disruption reaches their own operation. A delayed shipment of materials can stall a project, push back a production run, or leave a client short, and that is where the real commercial damage builds up.”
Building Resilience into Supply Chains
The businesses managing this period most effectively are those building flexibility into their supply chains rather than waiting for conditions to normalise. This includes diversifying sourcing, reassessing supplier geography, and reconsidering how much stock can be held on site to absorb delays without disrupting wider operations.
“This is not a short-term blip that will resolve itself once one particular trade route reopens,” Thompson said. “Even when individual flashpoints ease, the broader pattern of volatility across global shipping routes looks set to continue. Businesses that plan around that reality, rather than assuming a return to how things were before, will be better placed to manage whatever comes next.”
