UK port freight edges higher as deep-sea routes gain ground

UK port freight changed direction depending on the route category in 2025. Accredited official statistics from the Department for Transport show international traffic rising by less than 1 per cent from the previous year to 336.1 million tonnes. This article is independently written from the Department for Transport’s cited factual information. [1]

The headline total conceals a sharper split between imports and exports. Imports increased by 2 per cent to 237.5 million tonnes, while exports decreased by 4 per cent to 98.6 million tonnes. Domestic traffic also fell, declining by 3 per cent to 83.3 million tonnes. [1]

Short sea remains the larger share

Short-sea routes accounted for 65 per cent of international UK tonnage in 2025. Deep-sea routes represented the remaining 35 per cent. The percentages show that short-sea traffic continued to form the larger part of the international total, even as the two categories moved differently over the year. [1]

The statistics define a contrast rather than a simple rise or fall across all maritime trade. Short-sea traffic declined in both tonnage and units. Deep-sea traffic, by comparison, increased by 7.5 million tonnes, equivalent to 7 per cent, and by 0.5 million units, equivalent to 12 per cent, compared with 2024. [1]

The source does not explain why the route patterns diverged, so this report does not assign a cause. It does, however, show the scale of the movement. Deep-sea growth was large enough to stand out within a year when total international traffic barely changed.

Imports rise while exports retreat

The import and export figures give the national total another layer of contrast. Imports were more than twice the volume of exports in the reported 2025 figures, and the two directions moved oppositely. An increase in inbound tonnage was accompanied by a fall in outbound tonnage.

That pattern sits alongside the reduction in domestic traffic. Domestic movements were recorded at 83.3 million tonnes, down 3 per cent from 2024. The published release therefore records three different movements: international traffic was broadly stable, imports rose, and exports and domestic traffic fell.

Units provide a further measure for the route comparison. The Department for Transport reported a 12 per cent increase in deep-sea units, equal to 0.5 million additional units, while short-sea units declined. The release does not state that every form of cargo followed the same pattern, and the figures should be read as aggregate port-freight statistics.

For ports and operators, the 2025 record is consequently one of uneven traffic. The largest international share remained with short-sea routes, but the year’s growth came from deep-sea movements. The total international figure moved only slightly, yet its composition shifted through stronger deep-sea performance, higher imports and weaker exports.

These results provide an official baseline for comparing future releases. They show where the volume stood in 2025 and identify the route categories that changed most visibly against 2024. The most concise reading is not that UK port freight simply expanded or contracted, but that its direction depended on whether cargo travelled short sea or deep sea, and whether it entered or left the country.

**Source attribution:** This report is independently written from the accredited official statistics published by the Department for Transport.

[1]: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/port-freight-annual-statistics-2025/port-freight-annual-statistics-2025-international-routes-trends