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

	2011	2010	2009	2008	2007
Passengers (000's)
Passengers	-	1,318	1,329	1289	1274
Passenger Cars	-	289	286	292	325
Unit Load (000's)
Freight Vehicles	-	313	308	316	339
Containers	-	127	125	153	161
Bulk Cargo (000's Tonnes)
Liquid Bulk	-	2,500	2,521	2558	2697
Dry Bulk	-	3,915	3,154	3399	3338
Break Bulk	-	271	304	597	662
Important Commodities (000’s tonnes)
Petroleum Products	-	2,373	2,373	2411	2562
Grain and Feeds	-	1,994	1,733	1529	1591
Coal	-	270	249	488	218
Fertilisers	-	265	201	177	169
Aggregates	-	891	605	662	638
Scrap	-	278	255	289	266
Shipping
Gross Tonnage (000’s tons)	-	73,906	73,570	73005	73891
Number of Arrivals	-	5,664	5,534	5853	6111