Belfast Harbour reported a rise in total trade to 24.3 million tonnes in 2025, up from 24.1 million tonnes the previous year. The Trust Port said the growth was driven by increased volumes across all shipping modes. Belfast Harbour handles over 70% of Northern Ireland’s seaborne trade and a quarter of the island’s sea traffic.
Commodities performed strongly, with grain and animal feed volumes reaching a record 2.76 million tonnes—up from 2.46 million tonnes in 2024. Refined oil shipments, including petrol and diesel, rose 6% year-on-year, while steel imports increased 11% to 200,000 tonnes. Roll-On Roll-Off (RoRo) freight also hit a new record with 625,000 freight units handled by ferry partner Stena Line.
This surpassed the 2024 record of 618,000 units, underscoring the importance of freight links to Scotland and England.
Tourist coach numbers rose 6% to 13,500, and ferry passenger numbers grew by 2% to 1.73 million. Container traffic saw a modest gain of 1%, totalling 124,118 units—the second year of consecutive growth. Agri-food exports remain a major contributor to port activity, supported by direct and reliable shipping routes to Great Britain.
Belfast Harbour bustles with container traffic and Stena Line freight services
Michael Robinson, Port Director at Belfast Harbour, said the figures reflect a “strong performance across all categories.” “Trade through Belfast Harbour has once again been resilient in the face of local and global headwinds,” he said. He added that the upcoming 2025–2050 Masterplan includes major expansion plans to further boost port capacity.
Stena Line’s Paul Grant said: “We’re delighted to have once again hit a record number of freight units passing through the city.” He noted that new vessels—Stena Futura and Stena Connecta—will increase freight capacity on the Belfast–Heysham route.
Claudine Heron of W&R Barnett said Belfast Harbour’s “reliability and efficiency” were central to agri-feed market growth.
Michael Bell OBE of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association said: “Our industry supports 113,000 jobs and feeds 10 million people across the UK.” “Increased trade across the Irish Sea highlights our critical role in UK food security,” he added.
