The figures show that the decline was driven by a 3% reduction in inward tonnage to 69.6 million tonnes and a significant 10% drop in outward tonnage to 33.4 million tonnes.
Mixed results at different ports
The picture is nonetheless rather disparate once you look at the port-specific data, which shows significant fluctuations between port results.
Ports with increased cargo traffic
Aberdeen reported a modest increase in cargo traffic, rising by 1% from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024, with the port handling 879 thousand tonnes of cargo.
Similarly, Cardiff experienced a stable 4% increase, processing 293 thousand tonnes in Q1 2024. Dover also saw a 4% increase, processing 4,958 thousand tonnes. Meanwhile, Cairnryan recorded solid growth of 13%, managing 1,100 thousand tonnes.
Notably, Cromarty Firth witnessed a remarkable rise with a 151% increase, handling 213 thousand tonnes. Milford Haven also achieved a notable 25% increase, managing 900 thousand tonnes, while Plymouth experienced a substantial 74% increase, processing 300 thousand tonnes.
Ports with decreased cargo traffic
Belfast was among those ports to experience a year-on-year decline in cargo traffic in Q1 2204, which dropped by 3% to 4,435 thousand tonnes.
Boston suffered a slight decrease of 5% as well, dropping down to 167 thousand tonnes. Moreover, Dundee experienced a 9% reduction, processing 108 thousand tonnes.
The port of Clyde faced a much sharper decline with a 69% reduction, managing 730 thousand tonnes. Hull recorded a significant 59% decline, falling to 280 thousand tonnes, while Liverpool’s 1,459 thousand tonnes represented a 16% year-on-year decrease. Additionally, London experienced a considerable 25% decline, handling 3,200 thousand tonnes.
Liquid bulk and dry bulk down
The latest statistics from the UK Department of Transport also show a notable decline in liquid bulk, decreasing by 11% to 40.5 million tonnes.
Clydeport was significantly impacted, experiencing a 68% reduction due to unplanned maintenance, while Medway and Milford Haven saw reductions of 62% and 11%, respectively. Dry bulk also saw a decrease of 8%, with London and Port Talbot experiencing the largest declines.
Unitised traffic and Ro-Ro freight on the up
Contrarily, unitised traffic rose by 3% to 4.6 million units, with inward units increasing by 4% and outward units by 2%.
Container traffic showed minimal change in tonnage but saw a 4% increase in unitised traffic.
Ro-Ro freight tonnage fell by 2%, heavily impacted by declines at Portsmouth and Felixstowe. However, Ro-Ro non-freight units rose by 6%, with Dover seeing a substantial 22% increase.
Photo by Ollie Craig via Pexels