As of 2026-09-02, Carrgo tracks 17 UK and Ireland ports with an average health score of 77.4 out of 100. Grangemouth is the most congested at 42, with waits of 4-6 days. Holyhead is clearest at 90. 1 ports are congested, 4 moderate, 12 normal.
| Port | Region | Health score | Status | Typical wait | Vessels waiting | Berth use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grangemouth | Scotland | 42 | Congested | 4-6 days | 6 | 92% |
| Dublin | Ireland | 58 | Moderate | 2-4 days | 5 | 88% |
| Liverpool | England | 65 | Moderate | 2-3 days | 3 | 82% |
| Immingham | England | 68 | Moderate | 2-3 days | 3 | 75% |
| Felixstowe | England | 72 | Moderate | 2-4 days | 4 | 78% |
| Shannon Foynes | Ireland | 79 | Normal | 1-2 days | 1 | 55% |
| Cork | Ireland | 81 | Normal | 1-2 days | 2 | 58% |
| Belfast | Northern Ireland | 82 | Normal | 1-2 days | 2 | 60% |
| Waterford | Ireland | 82 | Normal | 1 day | 1 | 50% |
| Londonderry | Northern Ireland | 83 | Normal | 1 day | 1 | 52% |
| Tilbury | England | 84 | Normal | 1-2 days | 2 | 62% |
| Rosslare Europort | Ireland | 84 | Normal | 1 day | 1 | 48% |
| Southampton | England | 85 | Normal | 1-2 days | 2 | 65% |
| Bristol | England | 86 | Normal | 1 day | 1 | 55% |
| Larne | Northern Ireland | 87 | Normal | 0-1 days | 1 | 50% |
| London Gateway | England | 88 | Normal | 1-2 days | 1 | 58% |
| Holyhead | Wales | 90 | Normal | 0-1 days | 0 | 45% |
Over the past seven days 4 of 17 tracked ports deteriorated and 13 improved. Grangemouth moved furthest in the wrong direction, down 8 points from 50 to 42.
| Port | Score 7 days ago | Score now | 7-day change | 30-day change | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grangemouth | 50 | 42 | -8 | -16 | worsening |
| Dublin | 63 | 58 | -5 | -10 | worsening |
| Liverpool | 70 | 65 | -5 | -9 | worsening |
| Immingham | 70 | 68 | -2 | -4 | worsening |
| Shannon Foynes | 78 | 79 | +1 | +2 | improving |
| Cork | 80 | 81 | +1 | +2 | improving |
| Belfast | 81 | 82 | +1 | +2 | improving |
| Waterford | 81 | 82 | +1 | +2 | improving |
| Londonderry | 82 | 83 | +1 | +2 | improving |
| Bristol | 85 | 86 | +1 | +2 | improving |
| Holyhead | 89 | 90 | +1 | +2 | improving |
| Southampton | 83 | 85 | +2 | +5 | improving |
| Larne | 84 | 87 | +3 | +4 | improving |
| Felixstowe | 68 | 72 | +4 | -3 | improving |
| Tilbury | 80 | 84 | +4 | +6 | improving |
| Rosslare Europort | 80 | 84 | +4 | +6 | improving |
| London Gateway | 82 | 88 | +6 | +10 | improving |
Week-over-week movement matters more than the absolute score when you are booking. A port sitting at 68 and falling three points a week is a worse bet than a port sitting at 62 and holding steady, because the trend tells you what conditions will look like when your vessel actually arrives.
The Carrgo port health score is a 0-100 composite of three measured inputs: the number of vessels waiting for a berth, berth utilisation as a percentage, and the average waiting time before a vessel is worked. A score above 75 means normal operations, 50-74 means moderate delay risk, and below 50 means the port is congested and importers should expect knock-on delays to inland delivery.
Check the alternative. A port scoring 40 points higher on the same coast frequently clears cargo days faster, and the re-routing cost is often lower than the demurrage you would pay waiting. Use the port comparison tool to compare two ports side by side, then price the difference with the freight cost calculator.
Book against current conditions rather than last quarter's assumptions. Congestion at UK ports moves week to week, which is why this report is republished weekly rather than left static.
This dataset is published for public reference and is free to cite, quote and republish with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Journalists, analysts and other freight businesses are welcome to use it.
Suggested citation:
Carrgo Freight Solutions, "UK & Ireland Port Congestion Report,
2026-09-02", https://www.carrgo.co.uk/resources/uk-port-congestion-report/
Want the raw data? Every edition is published as open CSV and JSON on GitHub: carrgo-uk-port-congestion-data — machine-readable, versioned, and free to use under the same licence.
This report is a dated snapshot. For live figures that update continuously:
Past weekly editions Live port congestion tracker Compare two ports Freight cost calculator
Carrgo Freight Solutions is a UK freight forwarder handling sea freight, air cargo, road haulage, rail freight and customs clearance for UK importers and exporters. We publish this port intelligence because our own operations depend on it. Get a freight quote · Contact us