Port of Belfast
The
Port of Belfast is Northern
Ireland's principal maritime gateway, serving the Northern Ireland
economy and increasingly that of the Republic of Ireland. About 60%
of Northern Ireland's seaborne trade and 20% of the entire island's
is handled by the Port which receives over 6000 vessels each
year.
The Port is also a major centre of industry and commerce - its
Harbour Estate is home to some of Northern Ireland's most important
urban regeneration projects and it is the region's leading
logistics & distribution hub.
With 1.2 million passengers and half a million freight units
annually, Belfast is Ireland's busiest ferry port. It is also the
island's leading dry bulk port, dominating the market with regard
to imports of grain and animal feeds, coal, fertilisers and cement,
and exports of scrap and aggregates. Over 95% of Northern Ireland's
petroleum and oil products are also handled at the Port.
The Port of Belfast provides an ideal location from which to
service the passenger and freight markets of the northern part of
Ireland. It is located at the hub of the road network with no part
of the region more than one and a half hours from the Port by
road.
Northern Ireland has a population of 1.7 million, 57% living
within 30km from the Port. The Port of Belfast is located at the
centre of Northern Ireland’s largest industrial and commercial zone
with two thirds of the region’s major industrial employers located
within 15km of the Port.