Having looked at the sea passenger statistics for 2018, it doesn't make pretty reading I'm afraid. Passenger numbers have been steadily declining since 1998 and it looks as if that trend will continue for the forceable future. Holyhead passenger numbers are just about holding at the same level as in previous years. Larne - Cairnryan and Liverpool/Heysham - Doulglas are not doing well at all with the former experiencing a drop of -5% and Isle of Man routes droping by -5% and -7%. What the future holds for Irish Sea footpax doesn't look too promising. I hope I am wrong!

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sea-passenger-statistics-2018-short-sea-routes-provisional for those interested

Hi there,

We're currently seeking user feedback for our Sea Passenger Statistics publications on gov.uk to make it more user friendly. If you'd be interested in giving us some thoughts on how we can improve it, please drop me an email.

Thanks,

Zach