Welsh Government | Sea transport, 2012

in Wales during 2011 there was total freight traffic through Welsh ports of 65.5 million tonnes (Mt); of this, 44.7 Mt were good inwards and 20.8 Mt were goods outwards. Welsh ports accounted for just under 13 per cent of the total United Kingdom (UK) port traffic of 519.5 Mt

crude oil, with total traffic of 17.3 Mt; of which 16.6 Mt was inwards, with 5.6 Mt from the rest of the UK and 11.1 Mt imported from elsewhere in the world

liquefied gas, with total traffic of 13.3 Mt, largely imported from Qatar

liquid oil products, with total traffic of 18.2 Mt; of which 15.2 Mt was goods outwards, with 11.2 Mt exported to the rest of the work and 4.0 Mt sent to destinations elsewhere in the UK. 3.0 Mt were goods inwards from both UK and foreign sources

Welsh ports also act as the gateway between the Republic of Ireland and the rest of Europe with, for example, all the HGV traffic between Ireland and Europe passing through Wales in 2011

around 400 thousand lorries and unaccompanied trailers passed through Welsh ports to and from Ireland. Within this total, around half were from, and half to, Ireland. Around three quarters of this traffic went through Holyhead

in addition, in 2011 there were 2.8 million sea passengers travelling between Wales and Ireland; 2 million of these passed through Holyhead with the remainder using the ports of Fishguard, Milford Haven and Swansea