Sea transport: 2022
Information on ship arrivals, foreign and domestic travel and cargo for 2022.
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In this page
Main points
- In 2022, total freight tonnage at all Welsh ports (major and minor combined) was 53.9 million tonnes (Mt), an increase of 14.5% from 2021, and an increase of 1.8% from 2019.
- Welsh ports handled 11.7% of the UK’s total freight tonnage in 2022.
- Of the total freight tonnage at major ports in Wales, 87.4% was international traffic with just over three quarters (76.9%) of this international traffic being imports.
- Welsh ports act as a gateway between the Republic of Ireland and the rest of Europe, with Holyhead handling the greatest freight tonnage between Ireland and Wales, at 4.1 million tonnes in 2022.
- In 2022, 430,000 Lorries and unaccompanied trailers passed through Welsh ports to and from Ireland. While this represents a 6.7% increase compared to 2021, this represents a drop of 24.3% compared with 2019.
Figure 1: Indices for Sea freight and passengers at all Welsh ports, 1998 to 2022
Description of Figure 1: The line chart showing time series indices on changes in sea freight and passengers overtime. In 2022, sea passenger traffic increased by 91.6% compared to 2021 (a period impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic).
Source: Welsh Government analysis of Department for Transport Maritime data
In 2022, sea passenger traffic increased by 91.6% compared to 2021 (a period impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic). However, the 2022 total represents a 19.3% reduction in ferry passengers compared to 2019 (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic).
Sea freight
This section looks at domestic and foreign freight traffic by type of freight and movement between regions. Total freight tonnage through Welsh ports in 2022 was 53.9 million tonnes (Mt) (Figure 2), an increase of 14.5% compared to 2021, and an increase of 1.8% compared to 2019. Total freight tonnage through Welsh ports has been gradually falling over the last 12 years.
Figure 2: Freight through Welsh ports, 2012 to 2022
Description of Figure 2: Chart shows time series movement of Sea freight through Welsh ports since 2012. Total freight tonnage through Welsh ports in 2022 was 53.9 million tonnes (Mt).
Source: Welsh Government analysis of Department for Transport Maritime data
Of the 53.9Mt of freight through Welsh ports in 2022, 38.9Mt (72.1%) were goods inwards and 15Mt (27.9%) were goods outwards. Freight through Welsh ports accounted for 11.7% of the total tonnage through UK ports in 2022.
The largest components of freight through Welsh major ports in 2022
- Oil products, with a total tonnage of 17.3Mt, of which nearly 10.6Mt were goods outwards: 3.5Mt were sent to destinations elsewhere in the UK and 7.1Mt were exported to the rest of the world.
- Liquefied gas, with a total tonnage of 12.4Mt, the majority (97.6%) being imported from the rest of the world.
- Crude oil, with a total tonnage of 8.8Mt, most of which 92.7% were imported from the rest of the world.
Major ports in Wales
Major ports in Wales (consisting of Milford Haven, Port Talbot, Holyhead, Fishguard, Swansea, Cardiff and Newport [footnote 1]) handled a total of 53.4Mt of freight cargo (99.1% of total Welsh sea freight) in 2022. This represents a 15.1% increase in sea freight through major ports in Wales compared to 2021.
Three of the major ports in Wales meet specialised shipping needs (Figure 3 and Figure 5)
- Milford Haven handled 38.9Mt of freight in 2022 mainly crude oil, oil products and liquefied natural gas. These three products accounted for 96.9% of all cargo at this port in 2022 and are likely related to the oil refinery in Pembroke Dock.
- Port Talbot handled 5.98Mt of freight in 2022, mainly iron ore, coal and ‘Other dry bulk’ mostly for the adjacent steelworks. These three products accounted for 99.9% of all cargo at this port in 2022.
- Holyhead is the main port for freight and sea passenger transport with the Irish Republic. It handled 4.1Mt of freight in 2022, mainly Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) cargo that is made up of: ‘Road goods vehicles’ (54.8%), ‘Unaccompanied road goods trailers and semi-trailers’ (45.2%) and ‘unaccompanied caravans and other road, agricultural and industrial vehicles’ (<0%). These top three cargo accounted for 99.5% of all Cargo at this port in 2022.
In 2022 Milford Haven was the largest port in Wales and the third largest port in the UK by freight tonnage, predominantly oil and gas. Freight tonnage at Milford Haven accounts for 72.2% (more than two thirds) of all Welsh port freight. It handled 38.9Mt of freight in 2022, which was 8.5% of the UK total for 2022. When compared with 2021, Milford Haven freight traffic increased by 8.6Mt (28.3%) (Figure 3), however, compared to 2019 freight traffic increased by 11.3%, (All freight traffic at the major and minor ports in Wales, by port and type of commodity (StatsWales)).
Holyhead registered an increase in freight tonnage of 9.1% between 2021 and 2022, however, compared to 2019 this represents 23.0% reduction.
Figure 3: Sea freight through major Welsh ports, millions of tonnes, 2022
Description of Figure 3: Column chart showing total weight of sea freight handled by each of the 7 major ports in 2022. In 2022 Milford Haven was the largest port in Wales and the third largest port in the UK by freight tonnage
Source: Welsh Government analysis of Department for Transport Maritime data
Figure 4: Major Sea port locations in Wales
Description of Figure 4: Map showing location of major Sea ports in Wales and Sea routes to the Republic of Ireland.
Source: Welsh Government
Figure 5 shows the composition of different sea freight at Welsh major sea ports during 2022. Oil products followed by liquefied gas dominate the sea freight tonnages. In Figure 4, ‘Other’ includes the following cargo categories: ‘Road goods vehicles with or without accompanying trailers’, ‘Passenger cars, motorcycles and accompanying trailers/caravans’, ‘Passenger buses’, ‘Import/Export motor vehicles’ and ‘Other mobile self-propelled units’.
Figure 5: Top 5 cargo categories of sea freight via Welsh major ports by weight, 2022
Description of Figure 5: Doughnut chart showing top 5 cargo categories of sea freight via Welsh ports in 2022. Oil products followed by liquefied gas dominate the sea freight tonnages.
Source: Welsh Government analysis of Department for Transport Maritime data
Domestic and foreign freight by cargo
This section covers the movement of sea cargo via Welsh ports, with ‘domestic’ referring to coastwise movement (between Welsh ports) and ‘foreign’ referring to the movement of cargo to and from overseas destinations. In 2022, 87.4% of the tonnage through major ports in Wales was international with 76.9% of this tonnage being imports.
Comparing domestic and foreign traffic for 2022
- 93.2% of crude oil transported through the ports of Wales was foreign (92.7% imports, 0.5% exports). The remaining 5.8% was domestic, consisting entirely of Inwards domestic movements.
- 72.7% of oil products transported was foreign, (40.9% exports and 31.8% imports). The remaining 27.3% of oil products transported was domestic (25.1% inwards and 74.9% outwards).
- Roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) movements in 2022 was entirely foreign with a close split between cargo imports (53.4%) and exports (46.6%).
When looking at foreign imports and exports for 2022
- Import tonnages were higher than exports, with 36Mt and 10.8Mt respectively.
- The majority was either liquid bulk (33.4Mt) or dry bulk (6.8Mt). Liquid bulk includes products such as liquefied gas, crude oil, and oil products. Dry bulk includes coal, ores and agricultural products.
- Liquid bulk imports increased by 33.4% from 2021, however, compared to 2019 this represents a 13.0% increase. Liquid bulk exports rose by 20% compared with 2021, however, compared to 2019 this represents a 1.3% decrease.
- Dry bulk imports decreased by 18.6% from 2021, however, compared to 2019 this represents a 8.2% decrease. Dry bulk exports rose by 27.8% from 2021, however, compared to 2019 this represents a 4.5% increase.
- Roll-on/Roll-off imports increased by 7.8% from 2021, however, compared to 2019 this represents 19.5% reduction, whilst Roll-on/Roll-off exports fell by 3.6% compared with 2021, however, compared to 2019 this represents a 28.9% reduction.
Sea freight by broad region
Sea freight regions include Domestic Traffic, European Union (EU) traffic and non-European (non-EU) traffic. In 2022 non-European region freight from Welsh major ports accounted for 60.2% of all tonnage, with the dominant commodities being Liquified gas (Figure 6).
Import tonnages from non-EU countries into Wales have been proportionately higher compared to import tonnages from EU countries or domestic region. However, total exports to the EU region are much higher compared to non-EU or domestic exports.
Figure 6: Sea Freight by region via Welsh ports, 2012 to 2022
Description of Figure 6: Line chart showing movement of domestic and International (EU and Non-EU) regional sea traffic at major Welsh ports for the last 10 years. In 2022 non-European region freight from Welsh major ports accounted for 60.2% of all tonnage.
Source: Welsh Government analysis of Department for Transport Maritime data.
Domestic traffic
The section covers Wales’s Sea coastwise freight movements, i.e., freight shipped between United Kingdom (UK) ports. Since 2015, outward sea freight tonnage has surpassed inward tonnage (Figure 7). In 2022 outward sea freight tonnage from major Welsh ports increased by 7.3% compared to 2021 and increased by 9.9% compared to 2019. whilst Inwards Sea freight tonnage increased by 17.9% over the same period and increased by 15.5% compared to 2019.
Figure 7: Domestic freight movements between Welsh ports and UK ports, (millions of tonnes) 2012 to 2022
Description of Figure 7: Line chart showing direction of domestic sea freight movements at major Welsh ports and UK ports for the latest 10 years. In 2022 outward sea freight tonnage from major Welsh ports increased by 7.3% compared to 2021
Source: Welsh Government analysis of Department for Transport Maritime data
European Union traffic
This section covers sea freight movement between Wales and countries from the EU and looks at total sea imports and exports from major ports.
In 2022 total tonnage of sea freight exports to the EU increased by 13.1% to 7.2Mt compared to 2021, however, compared to 2019 this represents 13.5% decrease.
Since the EU Exit referendum, there has been an increase in shipping routes directly between Europe and the island of Ireland, which impacted the number of vehicles using Wales as a landbridge between the continent and Ireland. The weight of exports by sea from Welsh ports have been fluctuating downwards from a high of in 10.9 Mt in 2004 to 7.2 Mt in 2015 before picking up in 2016 until 2019 (Figure 8).
Figure 8: Freight movements between Welsh ports and EU, 2012 to 2022
Description of Figure 8: Line chart showing direction of sea freight movements at major Welsh ports and EU for the last 10 years. In 2022 total tonnage of sea freight exports to the EU increased by 13.1% to 7.2Mt compared to 2021.
Source: Welsh Government analysis of Department for Transport Maritime data
In 2022, there was a 28.6% increase in total import tonnage from the EU compared to previous year, however, compared to 2019 this represents 8.6% increase.
Non-European Union traffic
When considering tonnage, most sea imports into Welsh ports come from non-EU countries – unsurprising given the dominance of oil products and liquefied gas (Figure 5). In 2022 there was an increase from 2021 in total exports to non-EU destinations by 19.2% whilst imports increased by 13.0% (Figure 9). Compared to 2019 total exports in 2022 had increased by 1.7% whilst imports increased by 3.5% over the same period.
Figure 9: Freight imports and exports between Welsh ports and non-EU, 2012 to 2022
Description of Figure 9: Line chart showing direction of sea freight movements at major Welsh ports and non-EU for the last 10 years. In 2022 there was an increase from 2021 in total exports to non-EU destinations by 19.2%.
Source: Welsh Government analysis of Department for Transport Maritime data
Quarterly Imports and exports
This section looks at quarterly sea freight through major ports in Wales. Figures for Wales largely reflect activity at Milford Haven due to the dominance of oil products, liquefied gas and crude oil (Figure 5). In 2022, total freight tonnage at Milford increased by 28.3% compared to 2021.
- In 2022, Milford Haven total import tonnage decreased in the fourth quarter to 6.2Mt, a decrease of 3.2% compared to the same quarter in 2021.
- Exports from Milford Haven have been relatively stable in recent years, however, in 2022 export tonnage registered a 4.1% decrease in fourth quarter compared to the same quarter in 2021 (Figure 10).
Figure 10: Quarterly imports and exports from 2018 to 2022
Description of Figure 10: Line chart showing trends in the quarterly sea imports and exports from 2018 to 2022 at Wales ports. Figures for Wales largely reflect activity at Milford Haven due to the dominance of oil products, liquefied gas and crude oil.
Source: Welsh Government analysis of Department for Transport Maritime data
Republic of Ireland freight movements through Welsh ports
Welsh ports (Holyhead in particular) have historically acted as a gateway between the Republic of Ireland and the rest of Europe, with many hauliers opting for shorter sea routes combined with driving across the UK (landbridge). Current trends indicate a decline in the use of Wales as a landbridge since the formal departure of the UK from the EU Single Market and Customs Union in January 2021, combined with increased direct shipping routes between Ireland and continental Europe.
- In 2022, 430,000 Lorries and unaccompanied trailers passed through Welsh ports to and from Ireland. While this represents a 6.7% increase compared to the year before, there was been a noticeable drop in lorries and trailers through Welsh ports of 32.0% in 2021 compared to 2020 and 24.3% decrease compared to 2019 (Figure 11). Around half of lorries and trailers came from Ireland and half traveled to Ireland. 92.6% of this traffic went through Holyhead, (Number of lorries and unaccompanied trailers passing through Welsh ports to the Republic of Ireland, by port (StatsWales)).
Figure 11: Numbers of lorries and trailers between Irish Republic and Welsh ports, 2011 to 2022
Description of Figure 11: Column chart shows number of lorries and trailers that were moved between Welsh ports and the Irish Republic in the latest 10-year period. In 2022, 430,000 Lorries and unaccompanied trailers passed through Welsh ports to and from Ireland.
Source: Welsh Government analysis of Department for Transport Maritime data
Figure 12 shows the proportion of goods carried on Irish registered HGVs via the landbridge. Of goods transited on Irish registered HGVs from the Republic of Ireland to the continent in 2022, 41.9% went through Wales, while from the continent, 42.0% went through Wales to Ireland. These proportions have reduced significantly since the formal exit from the EU in 2020.
Figure 12: Proportion of goods carried from/to the Republic of Ireland from/to the continent on Irish registered HGVs, 2014 to 2022
Description of Figure 12: Clustered column chart showing the proportions of goods that were carried between Wales and Republic of Ireland by route from 2014 to 2022. In 2022, 41.9% of goods went through Wales, while 58% went through Other routes to the Republic of Ireland.
Source: Welsh Government analysis of Central Statistical Office Ireland data
Welsh ports compared with the rest of the United Kingdom ports
Total freight tonnage through UK ports in 2022 was 458.9Mt, a 3.0% increase on 2021 but a 4.9% decrease from 2019. Wales total sea freight tonnage increased by 14.5% whilst Scotland freight increased by 2.0%. Northern Ireland sea freight decreased by 5.3% since 2021 (Total traffic inwards and outwards at ports in the United Kingdom, by country and year (StatsWales)).
Compared with 2021, inwards tonnage to the UK increased by 4.3% to 304.3Mt but decreased by 2.5% from 2019, and outwards tonnage increased by 1.0% to 154.7Mt but decreased 9.2% from 2019.
Looking at individual port tonnage:
- London Port was the UK’s leading port in 2022 in terms of freight tonnage, handling 54.9Mt (12% of UK tonnage), an increase of 6.0% compared to 2021
- Grimsby & Immingham came second with 50.2Mt (10.9% of UK tonnage)
- Milford Haven port in Wales came in third position, handling 38.9Mt of freight (8.5% of UK tonnage), a 28.3% an increase compared to 2021.
Sea passengers
This section looks at the total number of sea passengers through Welsh ports, this includes passengers travelling by foot, those travelling in vehicles and those travelling as the driver of a goods vehicle.
In 2022, a total of 2.0 million sea passengers travelled between Wales and the Republic of Ireland. 1.5 million (75.7%) of these passed through Holyhead with the remainder using the ports of Fishguard and Milford Haven [footnote 2] (Number of sea passengers travelling on routes between Wales and the Republic of Ireland, by port (StatsWales)).
Since 2000, passenger movements between Ireland and Welsh ferry ports have been in decline. The number of ferry passengers using Welsh ports remained roughly stable since 2012, before a steep decline in 2020 as a result of travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Figure 13).
In 2022, the number of ferry passengers increased by 91.6% compared to 2021 (Figure 14), however, the 2022 total represents a 19.3% reduction in ferry passengers compared to 2019.
There were 617,000 accompanied passenger vehicles in 2022, representing 88.8% increase compared to 2021, however, compared to 2019 this represents a 10.0% reduction.
The main Welsh ports used by passengers are Holyhead (75.7% of passengers), Milford Haven (10.9%) and Fishguard (13.4%).
- In 2022, sea passenger traffic through Holyhead port increased by 85.5% compared to 2021. However, Holyhead port sea passenger levels in 2022 were 20.5% lower compared to 2019 levels.
- In 2022 sea passengers at Fishguard increased by 153.4% compared to previous year, however, Fishguard sea passenger levels in 2022 were 12.6% higher compared to 2019 levels.
- In 2022 whilst Milford Haven Sea passenger numbers had increased by 82.4% compared to 2021, in 2022 they were 34.3% lower compared to 2019 levels.
Figure 13: Timeline of sea passengers between Wales and Irish Republic ports, 2004 to 2022
Description of Figure 13: Line chart showing time series for total number of sea passengers travelling between Wales and Irish Republic Ports from 2004 to 2022. In 2022, the number of ferry passengers increased by 91.6% compared to 2021.
Source: Welsh Government analysis of Department for Transport Maritime data
Quality information
Context
Related publications
The Department for Transport produces a range of statistics relating to the maritime sector presenting information on domestic waterborne freight, ports, sea passengers, shipping fleets and sea farers. In addition, they produce UK port freight interactive dashboard (DfT) that is useful in understanding UK wide sea statistics
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency publish an annual statistical bulletin titled 'Northern Ireland Ports Traffic' providing statistics on passenger and freight traffic through Northern Ireland ports.
Relevance
These figures are compiled by the Department for Transport and Central Statistical Office Ireland (CSO Ireland). The UK-level data, together with a full description of the sources and methods used to compile these data can be found on the GOV.UK website (Maritime and shipping statistics (Department for Transport)). These statistics are used within and outside the Welsh Government to monitor trends in sea transport and as a baseline for further analysis. They are also used by Welsh Government to assess the impact of the UK’s departure from the European Union.
Accuracy
Freight data
Source of data
Port freight traffic statistics are based on a combination of data reported to the DfT by port authorities and shipping lines or their agents. Prior to 2000 reporting was by port authorities only. The current collection arrangements for port freight traffic statistics were introduced on 1 January 2000 to meet the requirements of the European Commission (EC) Maritime Statistics Directive (Council Directive 95/64/EC on statistical returns in respect of the carriage of goods and passengers by sea, recast as Directive 2009/42/EC).
Coverage
The statistics relate to traffic to and from ports in Wales. UK-level figures do not cover ports in the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands.
Major and minor ports
Ports are classified as either major or minor by DfT on the basis of current and historical trends in cargo volumes. More detailed data are collected for major ports than for the minor ports, and this is reflected in the statistics which can be produced.
Weights
Data presented in this release are based on the weight of freight traffic. All weights are tonnes gross, including crates and other packaging. The tare weights of containers, road goods vehicles, trailers and other items of transport equipment (i.e. the unloaded weight of the vehicle or equipment itself) are excluded.
Cargo types
Major port traffic is classified by cargo type. Cargo type is defined primarily in terms of the means by which the goods are loaded onto or off the vessel - although for some cargo types there is some further subdivision into broad commodities, the method of loading takes priority. A table of cargo types is shown below.
Unitised traffic
Containers
- 20 ft freight units (Cargo Code 31)
- 40 ft freight units (Cargo Code 32)
- Freight units > 20 ft & < 40 ft (Cargo Code 33)
- Freight units > 40 ft (Cargo Code 34)
Roll-on/Roll-off (self- propelled)
- Road goods vehicles with or without accompanying trailers (Cargo Code 51)
- Passenger cars, motorcycles and accompanying trailers/caravans (Cargo Code 52)
- Passenger buses (Cargo Code 53)
- Import/Export motor vehicles (Cargo Code 54)
- Live animals on the hoof (Cargo Code 56)
- Other mobile self-propelled units (Cargo Code 59)
Roll-on/Roll-off (non-self- propelled)
- Unaccompanied road goods trailers & semi-trailers (Cargo Code 61)
- Unaccompanied caravans and other road, agricultural and industrial vehicles (Cargo Code 62)
- Rail wagons, shipborne port to port trailers, and shipborne barges engaged in goods transport (Cargo Code 63)
- Other mobile non-self-propelled units (Cargo Code 69)
Non-unitised traffic
Liquid bulk
- Liquefied gas (Cargo Code 11)
- Crude oil (Cargo code 12)
- Oil products Cargo code 13)
- Other liquid bulk products (Cargo code 19)
Dry bulk
- Ores (Cargo code 21)
- Coal (Cargo code 22)
- Agricultural products (Cargo code 23)
- Other dry bulk (Cargo code 29)
Other general cargo
- Forestry products (Cargo 91)
- Iron and steel products (Cargo 92)
- Other general cargo & containers < 20 ft (Cargo code 99)
Unitised goods
Goods which are lifted on or off the vessel in large (20 foot or longer) shipping containers, or rolled on or off in one of a variety of self-propelled or towed units are said to be unitised cargoes. For these cargo types, the number of units as well as the weight of goods is recorded. Subsets of unitised goods are main freight units consisting of all containers and those ro-ro units which are designed to carry freight (categories 51, 61 and 63 above). The purpose of the main freight unit classification is that it excludes those ro-ro units which are not freight carrying – i.e. passenger vehicles, trade vehicles, and other specialised vehicles and trailers.
Geographical classification of traffic
UK port traffic is classified geographically according to where the goods were last loaded or next unloaded at the other end of the sea journey. All traffic is either domestic or international.
Sea passenger data
These figures are compiled by the Department for Transport. UK-level data, together with a full description of the sources and methods used to compile these data can be found on the GOV.UK website (Maritime and shipping statistics (Department for Transport)).
Source of data
International ferry passenger statistics are collected monthly from ferry operators by the Department for Transport. They include drivers of lorries, coaches and other vehicles but exclude passengers on purely domestic routes.
Ship arrival statistics
They are compiled by the Department for Transport and a link to the UK-level data, together with a full description of the sources and methods used to compile these data can be found on the GOV.UK website (Maritime and shipping statistics (Department for Transport)).
Source of data
The primary source used was commercially obtained vessel movement data from Lloyds List Intelligence (LLI) which is now merged with other information on ship movements obtained by the Department for Transport through the system described above for all cargo or passenger carrying movements at major ports and the sea passenger survey. The three data sources are merged at the level of individual vessels calling at each port. The maximum number of calls from any of the three sources is taken as the final estimate.
Coverage and quality
The data are considered a reasonably accurate estimate of the number of commercial shipping movements at UK ports, but are not necessarily exact, and the coverage of certain vessel or traffic types may be variable at the margins. Ship arrival data are not classified as National Statistics. The following list shows the classification of ship types and the ships arrival that are not covered.
- Tankers (Trading) and includes Oil tanker, oil-chemical tanker, chemical tanker, liquid gas tanker, other tanker.
- Ro-Ro vessels (Trading) and includes Ro-Ro passenger, Ro-Ro containers, Ro-Ro other cargo.
- Fully cellular container vessels (Trading) include Container (fully cellular)
- Other dry cargo vessels (Trading) include Bulk carrier, bulk-oil carrier, refrigerated cargo, specialised carrier, general cargo, general cargo-passenger.
- Passenger (Trading) includes Passenger, cruise.
- Other vessels (non-trading) include Offshore supply, dredging, bunkering tanker.
Not included are Work boats which are unlikely to be carrying cargoes (Non-trading) and includes Fish catching, other fishing, offshore (except supply), tugs or towing/pushing craft, offshore vessels other than supply ships, such as drilling vessels, pilot vessels, research ships, fishing boats, military vessels, research, other work vessels, non-seagoing ships, non-merchant ships, non-propelled vessels, non-ship structures, vessels of unknown or unrecorded type.
Timeliness and punctuality
This bulletin reports on Sea Transport in Wales during 2022. Information covers traffic to and from ports in Wales. UK-level figures do not cover ports in the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands. This bulletin is based on annual data which is published by the Department for Transport.
Related publications are available from the Statistics and Research website.
Sea Transport statistics for Wales are available on the StatsWales website.
Accessibility and clarity
This statistical bulletin is pre-announced and then published on the Statistics and Research website and is accompanied by tables on our StatsWales website.
Comparability and coherence
The Department for Transport produces a range of statistics relating to the maritime sector presenting information on domestic waterborne freight, ports, sea passengers, shipping fleets and sea farers.
National Statistics status
The United Kingdom Statistics Authority has designated these statistics as National Statistics, in accordance with the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and signifying compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics.
National Statistics status means that official statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value.
All official statistics should comply with all aspects of the Code of Practice for Statistics. They are awarded National Statistics status following an assessment by the UK Statistics Authority’s regulatory arm. The Authority considers whether the statistics meet the highest standards of Code compliance, including the value they add to public decisions and debate. The designation of these statistics as National Statistics was confirmed in February 2011 following a full assessment against the Code of Practice.
Since the latest review by the Office for Statistics Regulation, we have continued to comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics, and have made the following improvements:
- Added to and refined information about dimensions of quality and described links to policy.
- Improved our understanding of the various data sources and the methodology behind them, including their strengths and limitations.
- Added new relevant data sources to provide a broader view of the topic.
- Improved visuals by de-cluttering and standardising charts and tables.
It is Welsh Government’s responsibility to maintain compliance with the standards expected of National Statistics. If we become concerned about whether these statistics are still meeting the appropriate standards, we will discuss any concerns with the Authority promptly. National Statistics status can be removed at any point when the highest standards are not maintained, and reinstated when standards are restored.
Well-being of Future Generations Act (WFG)
The Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015 is about improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of Wales. The Act puts in place seven wellbeing goals for Wales. These are for a more equal, prosperous, resilient, healthier and globally responsible Wales, with cohesive communities and a vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language. Under section (10)(1) of the Act, the Welsh Ministers must (a) publish indicators (“national indicators”) that must be applied for the purpose of measuring progress towards the achievement of the wellbeing goals, and (b) lay a copy of the national indicators before Senedd Cymru. Under section 10(8) of the Well-being of Future Generations Act, where the Welsh Ministers revise the national indicators, they must as soon as reasonably practicable (a) publish the indicators as revised and (b) lay a copy of them before the Senedd. These national indicators were laid before the Senedd in 2021. The indicators laid on 14 December 2021 replace the set laid on 16 March 2016. This release does not include any of the 46 national indicators.
Information on the indicators, along with narratives for each of the well-being goals and associated technical information is available in the Wellbeing of Wales report.
Further information on the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
The statistics included in this release could also provide supporting narrative to the national indicators and are used by public services boards in relation to their local well-being assessments and local well-being plans.
We want your feedback
We welcome any feedback on any aspect of these statistics which can be provided to: stats.transport@gov.wales
