UK waterborne goods moved: one-port traffic
UK waterborne goods moved: one-port traffic stood at 3.65 billion tonne kilometres in 2025, according to GOV.UK official statistics. It is one of the indicators in the Port and waterborne freight table (Value · Annual), with a complete series running from 2001 to 2025. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Port and waterborne freight table
| Indicator | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goods moved on inland and coastal waters | |||||||||||
| One-port traffic at UK ports | 3.65 | 4.16 | 4.81 | 5.26 | 5.9 | 7.23 | 7.13 | 8.07 | 7.55 | 7.42 | |
| All waterborne traffic | 19.78 | 20.91 | 23.83 | 24.95 | 23.89 | 24.97 | 25.42 | 24.32 | 24.92 | 30.39 |
Understanding UK waterborne goods moved: one-port traffic
Quantification of transport output for one-port maritime traffic handled at port facilities is established in billion tonne kilometres by calculating the distance sea-capable vessels travel between a reporting port and domestic non-port sites, offshore installations, or marine deposit areas. This metric isolates maritime logistics where cargo is either loaded at a port for disposal or offsite placement, or brought into a port from a non-commercial marine origin. Excluded are standard bilateral port-to-port voyages, international cargo movements, and freight confined entirely to inland waterways.
Interpreting these statistics involves understanding their reliance on capital projects such as marine dredging, offshore energy development, and coastal defence works, which drive significant variations in activity. Initial estimates are frequently adjusted as project contractors submit delayed operational logs and final weight verifications. Analysts should prioritise annual comparisons over month-on-month or quarter-on-quarter changes to avoid misinterpreting the erratic timing of large engineering projects as economic trends. When benchmarking against conventional port freight, users should note that one-port movements do not represent standard consumer or industrial supply chains.
Frequently asked questions
- What defines one-port traffic handled at port facilities?
- It captures maritime journeys where cargo moves between a port and a non-port location, such as an offshore rig, dredging site, or marine aggregate area.
- Why do capital projects heavily influence this series?
- Because activities like dredging spoil disposal and offshore construction generate large volumes of non-standard maritime movements captured by one-port metrics.
- Does this series capture international freight?
- No, international shipping is categorised under foreign trade tables, whereas one-port traffic focuses on domestic marine operations.