Figures, published by the UK Department for Transport, show a year-on-year drop in freight tonnage passing through major British ports. The provisional statistics comparing January to March 2026 with January to March 2025. The data measures the top fifty or so ports in the UK handling more than one million tonnes of cargo annually.
The government analysis shows that total freight tonnage decreased by 3% to 104.7 million tonnes. Inward tonnage (import) showed little change, decreasing by less than 1% to 72.3 million tonnes. However, there was a sharp drop in export tonnage, which dropped by 7% to 32.5 million tonnes.
Import containers exported empty
Unitised traffic, which includes containers, Ro-Ro units and road trailers, showed little change, decreasing by less than 1% to 4.7 million units. Inward figures were down 1% to 2.6 million units, outward by 2% to 2.1 million units.
The figures are not exceptional and broadly mirror the gradual decline in the UK economy. Manufacturing performance, which closely tracks logistics throughput, has seen a decline in the measured period. When comparing the rolling year to March 2026 with March 2025 through UK major ports, total tonnage decreased by 2% to 416.7 million tonnes. Unitised traffic, which does include a measure for return empty containers leaving Britain, showed little change, increasing by less than 1% to 21.4 million units.
Some growth on tap
Although the economy appears less than fluid, liquid bulk remains Britain’s largest shipped category. 39% of all major port tonnage in Q1 2026 was in that sector. Nevertheless, liquid bulk has steadily been declining since the beginning of 2022. Volume decreased by a further 4% in Q1 2026 compared to Q1 2025. The Department for Transport lays the blame on the closures of the Lindsey oil refinery at Grimsby and Immingham, and Finnart oil terminal on the Clyde in Scotland (which is connected by pipelines to the now defunct refinery at Grangemouth).
“Furthermore,” says the DfT, “The closure or transition of major industrial facilities, such as the blast furnaces at Port Talbot and the UK’s last coal-fired power station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar, has reduced the need for importing raw materials and exporting bulk products. Nevertheless, liquid bulk tonnage has increased in Q1 2026 compared to the previous quarter (Q4 2025), up 7% because of increased seasonal energy demands.
In an echo of rail freight’s dominance by intermodal container traffic, sea-borne Ro-Ro freight remains above dry bulk this quarter. However, Ro-Ro accounts for 62% of the overall decline in tonnage from Q1 2025 to Q1 2026. “In the past two years, container traffic has rapidly closed the gap to dry bulk,” says the DfT. “From a dip in Q3 2024, container traffic has risen by 22% to Q1 2026. Even with the decline this quarter, this is largely due to the opening of the fourth berth at London Gateway [in late 2024].” With further development underway on the Thames and several other, less ambitious projects around the UK coastline, the UK port sector would seem to be less pessimistic about the country’s prospects than the DfT.