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Diesel imports into Northern Ireland grew by 10% last year because of increased custom from the Republic of Ireland, it has been revealed.
The amount of petrol brought via Belfast Harbour also rose by 4% as Irish rising fuel duties and the strong euro attracted motorists from across the border, trade figures revealed.
The harbour said the recent severe weather significantly boosted imports of grain, animal feeds and heating oil at the start of this year.
However the overall tonnage of material brought in fell because of the recession, with manufacturing and construction badly affected.
Belfast Harbour chief executive Roy Adair said: "The global downturn has obviously continued to take its toll, particularly on construction and manufacturing.
"That said, with the UK now officially out of recession there is evidence that the downward trend in these sectors is beginning to ease."
Although total tonnages through Belfast fell by 4.4% to 15.7 million tonnes in 2009, the harbour said it had significantly out-performed other Irish ports where tonnages have fallen by up to 18%.
Mr Adair added: "While nobody in the port industry likes to record a drop in traffic, there are significant positives in last year's figures, particularly for trades associated with the agri-food sector."
Fertiliser imports grew by 14% to 201,000 tonnes and animal feed imports grew by 13% to over 1.7 million tonnes.
The chief executive said: "It's also a clear indication of the resilience and value to the local economy of the agri-sector which has demonstrated, particularly in poultry and dairy related products, that quality Northern Ireland produce remains in high demand."
