Belfast Harbour handled a record 17.4m tonnes of cargo last year. Although this is the first time tonnages have risen above 17m since 2007, the Harbour believes that growth opportunities in traditional trades remains subdued.

Belfast Harbour has been revealed as the top scoring company in the 13th Northern Ireland Environmental Benchmarking Survey, announced today by Business in the Community’s ARENA Network campaign. The Survey, carried out by ARENA Network and supported by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, annually assesses top businesses in Northern Ireland for environmental management, performance and assurance.

A £50m investment by Belfast Harbour to develop a new terminal for the assembly of offshore wind turbines is providing a major boost for the Northern Ireland construction and aggregate sectors. The project, the largest ever in the Harbour’s 400-year history, will create 150 construction jobs and generate demand for one million tonnes of stone from local quarries.

A primary school teacher from Ballyclare has been named Belfast Harbour Green Teacher of the Year 2011 at an exciting Challenge Day at W5 attended by The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Niall Ó Donnghaile. Mr McAllister, from Fairview Primary School, Ballyclare, scooped the top prize in the Northern Ireland-wide search for the primary school teacher who showed most leadership and took most responsibility for the environment.

Belfast Harbour is delighted to welcome audiences attending The Boat Factory to the Harbour Office during its run from 20th October to 29th October. The play written by Dan Gordon and directed by Philip Crawford forms part of The Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen's. Parking is available for those attending the performance at Donegall Quay and is signposted with Belfast Harbour Event signage.

The Northern Ireland Science Park (NISP) has confirmed plans to expand its facilities by almost a third, providing additional space for up to 500 knowledge workers. The new facility, the second of three buildings known as ‘The Concourse’, will be purchased upon completion by Belfast Harbour as an investment property. The £6 million investment includes a sharing of security between Belfast Harbour, the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment and Barclays Bank which had previously provided a loan facility for Concourse I.

Rising tonnages have helped increase turnover at Belfast Harbour according to the Port’s 2010 Annual Report published today. Trade through Northern Ireland’s largest port has grown for the first time in three years, up 5.4% to 16.4m tonnes. This was reflected in an improved Turnover, up 5% to £34.7m. Profits Before Taxation stood at £17.4m.

Belfast Harbour today launched the 2011 Green Teacher of the Year Awards 2011 and is calling on all primary school pupils to help find Northern Ireland’s ‘greenest teacher’. Organised by Belfast Harbour and Action Renewables, the unique competition aims to reward primary school teachers for showing environmental leadership and taking responsibility for the environment.

Belfast Harbour and the Titanic Foundation have launched a competition for primary school pupils to create Titanic-themed models out of everyday household items. Up for grabs will be exclusive access to the new Titanic Belfast visitor attraction opening next year. Pictured at the competition launch in front of the new Titanic Belfast visitor attraction are Webster, the Port’s environmental guardian with the CEO of Belfast Harbour Roy Adair, CEO of Titanic Foundation, Cliodhna Craig and Liam Kelly and Anna Pollock from Ballyholland Primary School in Newry. Ballyholland Primary School’s Year 7 class are leading the way by making their own prototype models for the launch. Teachers are being asked to register now at: www.webstersays.com

The Ulster Orchestra and Belfast Harbours award-winning schools programme, Webster’s Waterworks, arrived in Belfast on the 27th May as part of the UO’s Summer Education Roadshow, when hundreds of local schoolchildren from 14 schools across Belfast and beyond got the chance to “play” with the Orchestra at the Ulster Hall.

The Permanent Secretary at the UK’s Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC), Moira Wallace, has visited Belfast Harbour to learn more about its plans to develop a £40m terminal for DONG Energy, one of the world’s leading offshore wind developers. Ms Wallace met with Executives from both the Harbour and Invest Northern Ireland to discuss the project which will help the UK reach its target of generating 30% of all electricity from renewable sources by 2020. As part of that process almost 11,000 wind turbines are expected to be constructed in UK waters over the next 20 years.

Belfast Harbour has published its new Corporate Plan for 2011-2013, detailing plans to invest £92m in capital projects related to the Port and Harbour Estate. The single largest investment is a £40m proposal to develop a Marine Energy Park to support Danish-based DONG Energy’s offshore wind farm operations in the Irish Sea and boost Belfast’s ‘green economy’.

It was with great sadness and that Belfast Harbour received the news of the loss of our friend and colleague, Captain Michael Evans, in the air crash at Cork Airport on Thursday 10th February. Our thoughts and prayers are with Michael's wife and family. Michael will be greatly missed by all of his friends within Belfast Harbour.

Belfast Harbour and Danish firm, DONG Energy, one of the leading energy groups in Northern Europe, have signed a letter of intent for an agreement which could make Belfast one of the UK’s leading renewable energy hubs. DONG Energy is progressing a number of offshore wind farm projects in the Irish Sea and its intention is to use Belfast Harbour as a base for their construction and operation. The letter of intent was announced at a meeting today in Belfast Harbour Office attended by representatives from the Northern Ireland Executive, Peter Gedbjerg, Vice President and UK Country Manager of DONG Energy, and Len O'Hagan, Chairman of Belfast Harbour.

Belfast was revealed yesterday as being Number 2 in the Top 10 UK cities for foreign direct investment according to the UK Trade & Investment Department. During a visit to to Belfast, Lord Green, the Coalition Government's first Trade Minister was eager to learn about developments in the renewable energy sector from business leaders and Belfast Harbour Commissioners, as he underlined the government's focus on growth and job creation as critical to economic recovery. Based on figures from Ernst and Young, Belfast is ranked as the UK’s second most attractive city after London, particularly in the technology and financial services sectors.

Trade through Belfast Harbour is on the up again for the first time in three years. Figures published today by the Port reveal that tonnages during 2010 grew by over 5% to stand at 16.5m tonnes. Tonnages had previously fallen by 10% since 2007 in the wake of the global credit crunch.

The hunt is over! Environment Minister Edwin Poots crowned two primary school teachers as joint winners of the Belfast Harbour Green Teacher of the Year 2010 Award at an environmental challenge day at W5. Mr Stevenson from Loughview Primary School, Newtownbreda, and Mrs McGauley from Blessed Patrick O’Loughran Primary School in Castlecaulfield, Co Tyrone, scooped the top prize in the Northern Ireland-wide search for the primary school teacher who demonstrated the greatest leadership and environmental responsibility in lessons both inside and outside the classroom.

'Titanic Port’, a new book celebrating 400 years of Belfast Harbour, was launched today (Monday Nov. 8th) in Belfast Harbour Office. Written by the award-winning journalist and author Alf McCreary, and commissioned by Belfast Harbour Commissioners, the book tells the story of those who built the Harbour and, in turn, laid the foundations for Belfast’s emergence as a major urban and commercial centre.

Employees within Belfast Harbour are taking part in the Prince’s Trust Million Makers Corporate Challenge. The recently formed Harbour Dragons will be competing against other corporate teams across Northern Ireland to raise £1m in the UK to support the Prince's Trust in their efforts to help the most vulnerable youth people in our society.

Twenty-year old sailor Tiffany Brien from Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club presented an £18,000 Paralympic sailing boat to local disabled charity Belfast Lough Sailability in Belfast Harbour today – the culmination of two years of fundraising by the 2012 Olympic hopeful including sailing single-handedly across the irish Sea.

Belfast Harbour has announced plans for a £250m ‘City Quays’ development in the heart of Belfast’s historical maritime district. City Quays represents the latest stage in the ongoing transformation of Belfast’s waterfront and is the strategic lynchpin to interconnect other developments initiated by Laganside such as Lanyon Place, and those at Cathedral Quarter, Odyssey and Titanic Quarter.

Have you ever been lucky enough to visit Belfast Harbour Office or to take a tour around the magnificent building which dates from 1854? Have you heard the tale of the Harbour Ghost or been captivated by the Veiled Lady? Never fear if you haven't! To make these stories more publicly accessible, Belfast Harbour has created a new colour visual guide to take interested readers on a pictorial tour of the interior of the building,

Greater collaboration between New York City and Belfast will help secure future economic, cultural and social progress and success, according to Belfast’s business community.

60 delegates from across the world recently visited Belfast for the General Stevedoring Council’s 40th Conference. The GSC was formed to encourage a flow of ideas and cooperation between Port Authorities and Stevedores across the world in respect of improving and developing facilities and delivering world-class training for staff.

Belfast Harbour has suggested that an upturn in trade through the Port during the first quarter of 2010 may indicate that the Northern Ireland economy is over the worst of the economic downturn. The upbeat assessment was made as the Harbour Authority published its 2009 Annual Report and Accounts.

In June, Belfast Harbour will open a berthing facility at Abercorn Basin The 40 berth facility is a forerunner to a new modern and fully equipped 200+ berth Marina located in the heart of Belfast's Titanic Quarter. Belfast Harbour has made available a special user guide for recreational users which outlines conditions of use,

Webster, Belfast Harbour's Environmental Guardian took to the stage of the Ulster Hall to help organise a concert with the Ulster Orchestra. The one hour concert which was held on Friday 28th May, introduced the schoolchildren to the instruments of the orchestra and has as its theme, a subject very close to Webster's heart - Water! Prior to the concert performance, Belfast Harbour in conjunction with the Ulster Orchestra staged a series of musical workshops with 12 Belfast Primary Schools.

Belfast Harbour, Northern Ireland’s largest seaport, has reported that tonnages fell by 4.4% last year in line with forecasts as the impact of the recession continued to be felt. There was, however, double digit growth in Dry Bulk trades associated with the agri-food sector and passenger numbers also increased by 3% to 1.33m, double the rate of growth throughout the UK port sector.

A momentous stage in the restoration of SS Nomadic took place today as the ship moved into her new home at Hamilton Dock in Titanic Quarter, which, in a twist of fate, was used in her construction nearly a century ago. Led by Belfast Harbour and Titanic Quarter, the process has been more than 12 months in planning and paves the way for the start of Nomadic’s restoration work.

Tyco International’s new £7 million centre of technical excellence was officially opened in Sydenham Business Park within Belfast Harbour today, supporting its Electronic Security Products business. Tyco International Ltd. is a diversified, global company that provides vital products and services to customers in more than 60 countries. With more than 100,000 employees worldwide, Tyco is a leading provider of security products and services, fire protection and detection products and services, valves and controls, and other industrial products.