Welsh Ports Explained: Trade, Ferries and the Latest Figures

Which Welsh ports handled the most freight in 2025?

The seven major ports in Wales handled 48.933 million tonnes between them, or 99.1% of the Welsh total. A major port is one that handles at least one million tonnes a year or is considered strategically important. More detailed cargo and route data are collected for these ports.

Milford Haven rose to third place among all UK major ports in 2025, behind London and Grimsby and Immingham. The Department for Transport attributes the change mainly to higher liquefied natural gas traffic. Milford Haven's liquid bulk volume reached 37.5 million tonnes, 17% more than in 2024.

Port Talbot moved in the opposite direction. The national release links a fall in dry bulk traffic to the closure of steelmaking operations there. That does not mean the port ceased to matter, but it shows why a port ranking can change sharply when one dominant cargo changes.

How has Welsh port freight changed since 2016?

The annual series is not a steady climb. Welsh ports handled 53.547 million tonnes in 2016 and 49.373 million in 2025, a decrease of 7.8%. The latest year was, however, 7.4% higher than 2024.

What the series can show: how many tonnes passed through Welsh ports each year. What it cannot show by itself: the value of that trade, its benefit to a local community, or the number of people employed. The figures can also be revised when data providers supply improved information.

Which Welsh ferry routes carried the most passengers?

Passenger movements answer a different question from freight tonnage. In 2025, the Holyhead to Dublin route recorded 1.542 million passenger movements. Fishguard to Rosslare recorded 232,000, while the Milford Haven group to Rosslare recorded 220,000. The Department for Transport notes that the Milford Haven group includes Pembroke.

These are passenger movements, not a count of unique individuals. They include vehicle drivers, their passengers and foot passengers. One person making an outward and return journey contributes two movements.

What are the Welsh words for port, sea and ship?

A port is porthladd, and ports are porthladdoedd. Sea is môr. A ship is llong, with the plural llongau.

The official Welsh statistics catalogue uses porthladdoedd Cymru for Welsh ports and teithwyr ar y môr for sea passengers. These are useful terms to recognise on bilingual transport and statistics pages.

Why publish this on World Maritime Day?

The United Nations lists World Maritime Day for Thursday 24 September 2026. The International Maritime Organization's 2026 and 2027 theme is From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence. The date is global, but the new figures give it a clear Welsh question: what actually moves through the ports around our coast?

The answer is not one cargo or one kind of journey. Wales has an energy port with UK-wide importance, industrial ports whose totals respond to economic change, and ferry gateways connecting Wales with Ireland. Reading freight and passenger data together makes that varied role easier to see.

For a different view of the coast, explore ten places to visit in Wales. Learners can also use our same-day guide to setting up Welsh on a phone.