The British Ports Association (BPA), the national association for ports, has responded to the publication of the Department for Transport (DfT)’s 2024 Port Freight Statistics, acknowledging continued changes in cargo patterns while highlighting the future growth potential across the UK ports industry.
The headline figure shows a slight decline in total freight tonnages, down 1% from 2023 to 429.7 million tons; however, the BPA stresses that these numbers do not reflect the full and diverse picture of activities or investments taking place across the UK ports sector.
The unitized freight market remains strong, with container (Lo-Lo) traffic increasing by 2.1 million tons last year, the largest absolute growth of any cargo group in 2024. This was underpinned by strong demand on transatlantic routes, particularly from the Americas and China. Indeed, deep sea imports rose 11% to reach a new high of 22.4 million tonnes, with containerised imports from China accounting for much of this growth.
Meanwhile, Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) traffic rose by 1%, and domestic Ro-Ro movements saw a notable increase of 26%, driven by accompanied road goods vehicles, particularly on Great Britain–Northern Ireland routes. This may reflect efforts to streamline post-Brexit customs processes through more direct transport links.
Despite a fall in bulk cargo volumes, particularly crude oil, LNG and coal—which is linked to global energy market shifts and the closure of the UK’s last coal-fired power station—this trend reflects a broader transformation underway in UK energy infrastructure and port activity. Indeed the stats don't capture the huge increases in offshore renewable energy developments or the recent record levels of cruise and tourism activities in the marine environment.
UK ports are increasingly diversifying their operations and income streams:
Ports today are not only gateways for goods, but active centers for clean energy, transport decarbonization, and regional investment. The BPA continues to call for a supportive policy environment such as improved planning processes that enables long-term investment in port infrastructure, economic development and connectivity.