Sea Passenger Statistics 2006

Sea Passenger Statistics 2006: These statistics are published in an annual bulletin which shows the latest figures for 2006 and trends for the last ten years.

During 2006 there were:

• 23.5 million International sea passenger journeys to and from the UK, one per cent lower than in 2005. Dover, the largest UK ferry port, handled 13.8 million journeys (3 per cent higher than in 2005). There were a total of 2.2 million passengers at Portsmouth (18 per cent lower) and 2.1 million passengers at Holyhead (5 per cent lower). For comparison there were also 15.5 million passenger journeys through the Channel Tunnel (broadly unchanged).
• There were 3.5 million domestic passenger journeys (passengers travelling between mainland Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Channel Islands and Orkney & Shetland), three per cent lower than in 2005.

Over the period 1996-2006:

• International sea passenger journeys to and from the UK fell by 11.1 million (32 per cent) and journeys through Dover by 5.0 million (26 per cent). Channel Tunnel passengers increased by 2.7 million (21 per cent).
• Domestic sea passengers increased by 0.1 million (2 per cent).   

Notes

1. Information on sea passenger traffic (the number of passenger arrivals and departures to and from UK ports and associated number of sailings, by route) is collected by the Department for Transport from UK ferry operators and agents in a statutory survey. 
2. The annual Sea Passenger Bulletin replaces the quarterly releases published previously.
3. Information on sea passenger traffic is also published in Maritime Statistics (tables 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3) and Transport Statistics Great Britain (tables 5.11 and 5.12).

Publication details

Published on 29 March 2007 by Transport Statistics.
E-mail steve.wellington@dft.gsi.gov.uk for queries concerning this bulletin.

For information about release of this product see National Statistics Online