Belfast Port - Ship Unloading

Belfast Port - Ship Unloading, a photo by infomatique on Flickr.

Belfast Harbour (also Port of Belfast) is a major maritime gateway in Northern Ireland, serving the Northern Ireland economy and increasingly that of the Republic of Ireland. With almost 1.2 million passengers and half a million freight units annually, Belfast is Ireland's second largest maritime gateway.

It is a major centre of industry and commerce and has become established as the focus of logistics activity for Northern Ireland. Around two thirds of Northern Ireland's seaborne trade, and a quarter of that for Ireland as a whole, is handled at the port which receives over 6000 vessels each year. 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 15 km of the Port.

It is Ireland's leading dry bulk port, dominating the market with regard to imports of grain and animal feeds, coal, fertilisers and cement. Over 95% of Northern Ireland's petroleum and oil products are also handled at the Port.