Between April and June, inward freight through major UK ports fell by 4% year on year to 68.6 million tonnes, while outward traffic dropped by 6% to 32.8 million tonnes. Over the rolling 12 months to June, total tonnage was down 3% at 411.9 million tonnes.
Traffic measured in freight units proved considerably more resilient. Major ports handled 5.5 million unitised units during the quarter, less than 1% below Q2 2025. Inward units edged up by less than 1% to 3 million, while outward traffic declined 1% to 2.5 million.
Oil traffic drives much of the decline
The steepest deterioration came from liquid bulk cargo, which remains the UK’s largest port freight category. Liquid bulk volumes fell 15% year on year to 33.7 million tonnes, accounting for much of the overall reduction in port tonnage.
The DfT attributed the decline partly to the closure of the Lindsey oil refinery, which affected traffic through Grimsby and Immingham, and a maintenance shutdown at the Tetney oil terminal serving Rivers Hull and Humber.
Grimsby and Immingham recorded a 1.5 million-tonne, or 39%, decline in liquid bulk, while Rivers Hull and Humber was down 1.2 million tonnes, or 42%. The closure of the Grangemouth refinery also contributed to a 21% fall in liquid bulk traffic at Forth.
Liquid bulk tonnage was also 19% lower than in the first quarter of 2026, reaching its lowest level since the current quarterly series began. Milford Haven alone recorded a 5.6 million-tonne quarter-on-quarter decline. The port told the DfT that geopolitical disruption affecting major Middle Eastern energy shipping routes was partly responsible.
Container traffic moves in the opposite direction
Containers showed a markedly different pattern. Container tonnage climbed 9% year on year to 18.7 million tonnes, continuing a strong increase seen over the past two years.
London recorded particularly strong growth, with container tonnage increasing 19% to a record 6 million tonnes. The DfT linked the increase to additional capacity following the opening of the fourth berth at London Gateway.
Measured by units, UK major-port container traffic increased even faster, rising 12% to 1.7 million units. London handled 97,000 more container units than a year earlier, an increase of 24%, while Southampton recorded an additional 49,000 units.
Dry bulk traffic also increased, rising 3% to 21.4 million tonnes. Grimsby and Immingham registered a 31% increase in dry bulk, equivalent to around 0.9 million tonnes, although this was insufficient to offset the port’s much larger fall in liquid bulk traffic.
The DfT said the quarterly cargo-category figures remain provisional, with the final 2026 port freight statistics due to be published in July 2027.
