A particular growth area in recent years has been the cruise liner trade. There are many ports now providing excellent facilities around the country as the tourist market grows. Whatever their function, all Britain's ports play an important role in their local region and many, depending on their markets, have national significance. Although the number of employees within the industry has declined in recent years following the dismantling of the National Dock Labour Scheme and the introduction of new technology, the number of jobs relying on ports remains high and ports can support significant employment within the region. Whether private,trust or municipal, all ports in the UK operate as commercial entities and receive no national funding assistance from the government.
Ports therefore operate in strong competition with each other and keenly protect their independence.
This is a situation almost unique in the EU and has resulted in UK ports being recognised as amongst the most efficient in the world. There are a number of commercial and policy trends which are having a major impact on ports. Commercially the main changes are the rapid growth of container and ferry traffic, the increasing size of ships and a highly competitive market place. Consultation on the proposals has only just begun and it is unlikely that legislation will start to have an effect before the middle of the decade. The proposals deal mainly with provision of services such as cargo handling, pilotage and towage, but also cover transparency of accounts and labour reform.