The Port of Liverpool (Port Code: GBLIV) was the United Kingdom's fourth largest port by tonnage of freight, handling 31.1 million tonnes in 2020. It is the enclosed 7.5 miles (12.1 km) dock system that runs from Brunswick Dock in Liverpool to Seaforth Dock, Seaforth, on the east side of the River Mersey and the Birkenhead Docks between Birkenhead and Wallasey on the west side of the river. The port was extended in 2016 by the building of an in-river container terminal at Seaforth Dock, named Liverpool2. The terminal can berth two 14,000 container Post-Panamax ships.
The Port of Liverpool is one of the busiest container ports in Britain and Northern Europe, handling almost 700 thousand TEUs of containerized cargo per year. Its main trade partner at this time is North America, but its trade relationships are growing with ports in China, India, Africa, Australia, the Middle East, and South America. The Port of Liverpool leads United Kingdom ports in the import of grain and animal feeds and in the export of recycled metal. It is also the main port handling freight movements between Ireland and Britain.
On both banks of the River Mersey, the Port of Liverpool contains over 485 hectares of operational docks that handle general cargo, timber and forest products, crude oil, coal, edible oils and fats, cocoa, copper, steel, granite, aluminum and other metals, and chemicals. The Port of Liverpool is also a popular cruise ship destination and a busy ferry port for people traveling the Irish Sea.