The amount of freight travelling through Northern Ireland’s ports has fallen from the record highs reported in the wake of Brexit, latest available government data has shown.
Total tonnage of 27.9 million tonnes in 2022 was down by over 5% on the 29.5 million tonnes reported in 2021 and in contrast to an uplift across all º£½ÇÊÓƵ ports during the period.
The fall comes as a blip on the steady uplift of trade through Northern Ireland’s ports over the last 24 years and has been mooted as evidence that increased red tape in the wake of the º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s withdrawal from the European Union has dissuaded trade.
However, those checks are carried out on imported goods but it was the outward flow of goods which saw the steepest decline between 2021 and 2022. Inward traffic to Northern Ireland was down by over 4% while outward traffic fell some 7%.
Belfast continues to account for the bulk of all tonnage with nearly two thirds landing or departing from the port while Larne sees over 13% of traffic and Warrenpoint nearly 12%.
While freight numbers may have fallen, the popularity of Northern Ireland’s ferries appears to have continued growing.
A total of 583,331 non-freight vehicles passed through Northern Ireland ports in 2022. This compared with a figure of 532,611 in 2021 – an increase of 9.5%. In total, 4.7 million non-freight vehicles passed through the º£½ÇÊÓƵ in 2022 – a significant increase of 93.3% from 2021.
Much of that increase has been attributed to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic which saw holiday makers and others who may have previously opted for flight travel heading for ferry vacations.
