Facts & Figures

The Port of Belfast handles circa 60% of Northern Ireland's seaborne trade and 20% of the entire island's with the Port's hinterland extending significantly into the Republic of Ireland.

In spite of the downturn in the general economy, trade figures for 2008 were only down 5.5% on the previous year with 16.5m tonnes of goods handled. Oil imports fell by 5%, whilst trades associated with the construction sector were particularly affected with timber imports down 38% and steel imports down 21%. The Port's container traffic also showed a decrease of 5% on the previous year.

However, a number of the Port's other sectors remained buoyant despite the current economic climate. Scrap metal exports rose by 8.6%, fertiliser imports increased by 5% and the stone export trade increased by 4%. The most significant increase, however, was in coal imports which saw tonnages more than double to 488kT for the year. Passenger traffic remained static with 1.2m passengers using the Port in 2008.

2008 was also the best year ever for visiting cruise ship's, with a record 39 ships calling at the Port bringing 65,000 passengers and crew.

Annual Report

A retrospective review of Belfast Harbour’s activities and financial performance in the previous year.  Hard copies are available in the reception area of Belfast Harbour Office or download a copy now

Trade & Shipping Statistics

	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005
Passengers (000's)
Passengers	1,329	1289	1274	1223	1256
Passenger Cars	286	292	325	313	309
Unit Load (000's)
Freight Vehicles	308	316	339	343	338
Containers	125	153	161	145	133
Bulk Cargo (000's Tonnes)
Liquid Bulk	2,521	2558	2697	2872	3078
Dry Bulk	3,154	3399	3338	3543	3620
Break Bulk	304	597	662	621	611
Important Commodities (000’s tonnes)
Petroleum Products	2,373	2411	2562	2745	2945
Grain and Feeds	1,733	1529	1591	1574	1451
Coal	249	488	218	264	242
Fertilisers	201	177	169	264	332
Aggregates	605	662	638	720	813
Scrap	255	289	266	248	255
Shipping
Gross Tonnage (000’s tons)	73,570	73005	73891	72698	72137
Number of Arrivals	5,534	5853	6111	6213	6314