North Sea Port recorded a slight increase in seaborne cargo throughput during the first quarter of 2025, handling 16.6 million tonnes — an increase of nearly 1 percent compared to the same period in 2024. This growth is primarily attributable to a rebound in liquid bulk volumes, while trade with the United Kingdom continued its strong upward trajectory.
Over the first three months of 2025, port-based companies facilitated the transhipment of 200,000 tonnes more than in the previous year’s corresponding period, marking a year-on-year increase of 0.9 percent. This growth was led by gains in liquid bulk and container traffic, even as other cargo segments experienced marginal declines. Following a positive annual result in 2024 (+0.7 percent), the port has sustained its upward momentum. The ongoing diversification of cargo activities continues to underpin operational resilience amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainties.
UK and US Trade Expands, Russia Declines Further
While interpreting the figures requires caution — especially in light of geopolitical tensions, including the US-EU trade dispute — early 2025 figures reveal continued strength in trade with the United Kingdom. Volumes increased by 9.8 percent, consolidating the UK’s position as North Sea Port’s largest trading partner, a title it secured in 2024.
Trade with the United States also grew by 11.5 percent, bolstered by a modest increase in export volumes, adding 100,000 tonnes. Conversely, trade with Russia continued to deteriorate due to EU-imposed sanctions, falling by 32 percent quarter-on-quarter to just 500,000 tonnes — its lowest quarterly figure in recent years.
Liquid Bulk Rebounds, Dry Bulk Contracts Slightly
As a port specialising in bulk cargo, North Sea Port continues to rely heavily on both dry and liquid bulk, which together make up three-quarters of its seaborne throughput.
Liquid bulk showed notable recovery, rising by 7.8 percent year-on-year — an increase of nearly 300,000 tonnes to a total of 3.9 million tonnes. The growth was driven by higher volumes of propane and naphtha.
Container transhipment also rose sharply to 45,000 TEU, equivalent to over 500,000 tonnes — a year-on-year gain of 33 percent.
Dry bulk volumes, however, declined slightly, totalling 8.7 million tonnes — a drop of 200,000 tonnes (-1.9 percent) from Q1 2024. This follows a period of growth from mid-2023 through mid-2024. The decline was spread across various product categories, although ores and agricultural commodities bucked the trend and posted gains.
Break bulk fell modestly to 2.5 million tonnes, down by 40,000 tonnes (-1.5 percent). Roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) traffic also decreased to 950,000 tonnes, marking a 5.1 percent drop compared to the previous year.
Inland Waterway Cargo Declines
In contrast to the stable seaborne figures, inland navigation volumes saw a decline. A total of 15.2 million tonnes was transported via inland waterways in the first quarter of 2025 — 715,000 tonnes less than during the same period in 2024 (-4.5 percent).
This downturn was largely driven by falling volumes of dry bulk materials such as sand, gravel, and crude minerals. Liquid bulk volumes via inland waterways remained consistent with the previous year’s levels.
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