Belfast Harbour has reported a year of significant growth for 2025, with cargo throughput nearing historic levels and a marked increase in travel numbers.

The Trust Port handled 24.3 million tonnes of goods over the last year, an increase from 24.1 million tonnes in 2024. As Northern Ireland's primary maritime gateway, the harbour manages over 70% of the region's seaborne trade and approximately 25% of all sea trade for the island of Ireland. The annual value of goods processed through the site now stands at £26.7bn, representing more than 15% of Northern Ireland's total economic output.

The agricultural sector was a primary driver of this success. Grain and animal feed volumes reached a record 2.76 million tonnes, up from the previous high of 2.46 million tonnes. Liquid bulk also saw growth, with refined oils rising by 6%, while steel imports grew by 11% to reach 200,000 tonnes.

Roll-On Roll-Off (RoRo) freight, operated in partnership with Stena Line, achieved a new benchmark of 625,000 units. Passenger numbers also trended upwards, with 1.73 million people using the ferry services, representing a 2% increase. Michael Robinson, Port Director at Belfast Harbour, said: "The results for 2025 show that the Port community is continuing to do a great job transporting people and delivering the goods and services that we all rely on, not only in business and industry, but in all aspects of our daily lives.

"Trade through Belfast Harbour has once again been resilient in the face of local and global headwinds and we were proud to keep supporting essential industries such as agrifood throughout the year. We continue to invest in our Port facilities and will this year unveil our 2025-2050 Masterplan, which contains plans for major port expansion and upgrades that will further increase our port trade capacity."

Paul Grant, Trade Director Irish Sea North for Stena Line, noted that the introduction of new freight vessels, Stena Futura and Stena Connecta, is expected to drive further capacity on the Belfast to Heysham route.

The importance of the port to UK food security was also highlighted by Michael Bell OBE, Executive Director of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association, who noted that the local industry feeds 10 million people across the UK.

Claudine Heron, Agri Division CEO at W&R Barnett, added: "The Agri‑feed market continued to show strong demand throughout 2025, and the reliability and efficiency of operations at Belfast Harbour have been central to supporting that growth. The long‑term commitments set out in the Belfast Harbour 2050 Masterplan provide confidence that the port will continue to invest in the modern, sustainable infrastructure needed to keep supply chains resilient and competitive."