In spite of the downturn in the general economy, trade figures for 2008 were only down 5.5% on the previous year with 16.5m tonnes of goods handled. Oil imports fell by 5%, whilst trades associated with the construction sector were particularly affected with timber imports down 38% and steel imports down 21%. The Port’s container traffic also showed a decrease of 5% on the previous year.

However, a number of the Port’s other sectors remained buoyant despite the current economic climate. Scrap metal exports rose by 8.6%, fertiliser imports increased by 5% and the stone export trade increased by 4%. The most significant increase, however, was in coal imports which saw tonnages more than double to 488kT for the year. Passenger traffic remained static with 1.2m passengers using the Port in 2008.

2008 was also the best year ever for visiting cruise ships, with a record 39 ships calling at the Port bringing 65,000 passengers and crew.