The number of short-haul sea journeys taken during 2013 rose for the first time in two years.

According to statistics released by the Department for Transport (DfT), 20.5 million voyages took place last year, a rise of four per cent. Additionally, 2.1 million passengers travelled from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, while 0.4 million went to the Channel Islands.

These figures constituted an increase on the year before and heralds a reverse of the steadily-declining trend that has occurred over the past decade. Meanwhile, Dover was declared the busiest port in the country, carrying 12.7 million people. Although this represented an increase of seven per cent on last year's figures, it was still 20 per cent below the results achieved ten years ago.

A greater number of people chose to use ferries instead of Eurostar to cross the Channel, with 1.7 million more passengers electing to go by sea. This reversed the trend last year, which witnessed the first occasion where the Tunnel was the most popular.

The DfT is set to release more sea travel statistics in the autumn.