The Port of Belfast was pleased to report an increase in freight volumes in 2011 over the previous year. Bulk cargo, especially steel and steel coil traffic doubled in 2011, compared with 2010. This reflected improved activity in Northern Ireland’s engineering manufacturing sector, while the number of freight vehicles using the port rose by 14%.
Belfast benefited from the development of new terminals on both sides of the Irish Sea, servicing the Belfast-Loch Ryan route. This, together with the rationalisation of ferry services, resulted in a 14% increase in the number of freight vehicles (357,000) using the port and a third consecutive year of increasing container traffic – up 2% to 129,000 boxes.