Swansea docks
Encyclopedia
Swansea Docks is the collective name for several dock
s in Swansea
, Wales
. The Swansea docks are located immediately south east of Swansea city centre
. In the mid-19th century the port was exporting 60% of the world's copper
from factories situated in the Tawe valley
. The working docks area today is owned and operated by Associated British Ports as the Port of Swansea and the northern part around the Prince of Wales Dock is undergoing re-development into a new urban area branded the SA1 Swansea Waterfront
.
retail complex was built on the site in the late 1980s.
and the land around the dock was developed as the Maritime Quarter
residential area.
to the east of the River Tawe. Once construction work was completed, the Prince of Wales dock was opened on 18 October 1881 by Edward, Prince of Wales
. The Prince of Wales Dock was further extended in 1898 to the size the dock currently remains of 27 acres (109,265.2 m²). Usage of the Prince of Wales dock declined throughout the later half of the 20th century. The Prince of Wales Dock is now undergoing redevelopment as the Prince of Wales Marina with 500 berths. An new channel with sea lock
and holding basin
is currently under construction to link the Price of Wales Dock directly with the River Tawe
. A new Wakeboarding
facility opened in the Price of Wales Dock in 2010.
oil refinery at Llandarcy
and petrochemical plant at Baglan Bay
. Usage of the Queen's Dock reached its peak in the 1950s when oil imports and exports reached around 8 million tonnes per year. Since the closure of the oil plants at Baglan Bay
and Llandarcy
, the Queen's Dock was rendered obsolete and is now little used today.
, the Neath and Brecon Railway
and the Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway
company, which linked the Dulais Valley
and Rhondda
Valley coalfields directly with the docks. In addition to shunting locomotives operated by the SHT, further engines were provided by Powlesland and Mason
from 1903 onwards.
shipping port operated by Associated British Ports
which comprises the King's Dock, Queen's Dock, two dry docks and a roll on/roll off ferry terminal in the River Tawe.
with 25000 m² (269,097.8 sq ft) of storage space, 17 quayside cranes
, two drydocks, a roll-on/roll-off berth
and container
terminal. It offers warehouses and facilities for handling dry bulks, minerals, ores
, forest
products and general cargo
.
terminal in the western part of the docks. Between 1987 and 2006, a regular passenger and car ferry to Ringaskiddy
in County Cork
, Ireland
departed from here. The ferry was operated by a company called Swansea Cork Ferries
. The ferry service was suspended from 2007 A website and online campaign / e-petition was started in an attempt to highlight the effect that the loss of the Swansea Cork ferry was having on Swansea and the South-West of Ireland. In April 2009, a newly formed co-operative purchased a new vessel to provide a service between Swansea and County Cork. This new ferry service will commence on 10 March 2010.
Enterprise and Learning Committee in January 2008, Swansea University
stated that it was "at an advanced stage of discussion" about a new 'Innovation Campus' on a second site. On 20 March 2008, the university announced that it would conduct a more detailed examination and feasibility assessment of a 100 acre (0.404686 km²) site off Fabian Way, covering an area from the docks and the former BP
plant to the Site of Special Scientific Interest
at Crymlyn Bog
. The new campus could be home to Engineering, Computing, Telecommunications, the Business and Law Schools and a range of offices for large and small companies.
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
s in Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The Swansea docks are located immediately south east of Swansea city centre
Swansea city centre
Swansea city centre in Swansea, Wales, contains the main shopping, leisure and nightlife district in Swansea. The city centre covers much of the Castle ward including the area around Oxford Street, Castle Square, and the Quadrant Shopping Centre; Alexandra Road, High Street, Wind Street and the...
. In the mid-19th century the port was exporting 60% of the world's copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
from factories situated in the Tawe valley
River Tawe
The River Tawe is a river in South Wales. It flows in a principally south-westerly direction for some from its source below Moel Feity in the Old Red Sandstone hills of the western Brecon Beacons to the Bristol Channel at Swansea. Its main tributaries are the right bank Upper and Lower Clydach...
. The working docks area today is owned and operated by Associated British Ports as the Port of Swansea and the northern part around the Prince of Wales Dock is undergoing re-development into a new urban area branded the SA1 Swansea Waterfront
SA1 Swansea Waterfront
SA1 Swansea Waterfront is the marketing name given to the brownfield development area located in northern part of Swansea Docks. The area is located directly to the southeast of Swansea city centre. It is bordered by the Fabian Way to the north and covers the Prince of Wales Dock area.The...
.
North Dock
The North Dock was created to fulfil the increasing shipping demands from the nearby metals industry. The North Dock was created by diverting the River Tawe by cutting a new direct course within a meander section near the estuary. The old course of the River became the new dock and work was completed in 1852.Retired Section Swansea Docks - A Brief History of Swansea Dock The North Dock closed in 1930 after the development of new larger docks on the east side of the River Tawe made the North Dock obsolete. The north dock has since been filled in and the Parc TaweParc Tawe
Parc Tawe is a retail park and leisure area in Swansea, Wales. It is located in the eastern area of the city centre on the west bank of the River Tawe in the Lower Swansea valley....
retail complex was built on the site in the late 1980s.
South Dock
Construction began on the South Dock in 1852 by a private company. It was built on a site west of the River Tawe, just south of the North Dock and was not completed until 1859. The South Dock was closed in 1971 and was redeveloped in the 1980s. The dock itself became the Swansea MarinaSwansea Marina
Swansea Marina is a marina located behind the Swansea barrage at the mouth of the River Tawe in Swansea, south Wales. Swansea Marina was awarded blue flag status in June 2005 and has been awarded five gold anchors by the Yacht Harbour Association...
and the land around the dock was developed as the Maritime Quarter
Maritime Quarter
The Maritime Quarter, or Swansea Marina, is a residential area of Swansea, Wales, UK located immediately south of the city centre shopping core. It falls within Swansea's Castle ward...
residential area.
Prince of Wales Dock
The Swansea Harbour Trust began constructing the Prince of Wales Dock in 1879 on the site of what was Fabian's BayFabian's Bay
Fabian's Bay was a natural tidal basin near the present day area of Port Tennant in Swansea, Wales. The Prince of Wales dock, part of the Swansea Docks complex was built at the site of Fabian's Bay and the name Fabian's Bay is now no longer in use. Presumably, the nearby highway, the Fabian Way...
to the east of the River Tawe. Once construction work was completed, the Prince of Wales dock was opened on 18 October 1881 by Edward, Prince of Wales
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
. The Prince of Wales Dock was further extended in 1898 to the size the dock currently remains of 27 acres (109,265.2 m²). Usage of the Prince of Wales dock declined throughout the later half of the 20th century. The Prince of Wales Dock is now undergoing redevelopment as the Prince of Wales Marina with 500 berths. An new channel with sea lock
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
and holding basin
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
is currently under construction to link the Price of Wales Dock directly with the River Tawe
River Tawe
The River Tawe is a river in South Wales. It flows in a principally south-westerly direction for some from its source below Moel Feity in the Old Red Sandstone hills of the western Brecon Beacons to the Bristol Channel at Swansea. Its main tributaries are the right bank Upper and Lower Clydach...
. A new Wakeboarding
Wakeboarding
Wakeboarding is a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water. It was developed from a combination of water skiing, snow boarding and surfing techniques....
facility opened in the Price of Wales Dock in 2010.
King's Dock
Work began on the King's Dock in 1905 to meet the growing demand of Tinplate exports from the local area. The King's Dock was constructed as a much larger dock than the Prince of Wales on south side of the Prince of Wales Dock and covers some 72 acres (.29 km2). Construction was complete by 1909. The King's Dock is the principal dock in the Port of Swansea which is still in use today for cargo operations.Queen's Dock
At the same time the King's dock was being built, a breakwater was constructed further south of the King's dock which enclosed a large body of water covering some 151 acres (.61 km2). This body of water was to later be opened as the Queen's Dock in 1920 after oil handling facilities were built to handle oil imports for the nearby BPBP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
oil refinery at Llandarcy
Llandarcy
Llandarcy is a village near Neath in Neath Port Talbot county borough, southwest Wales, and formerly the site of the UK's first oil refinery. The village, which lies near the Junction 43 of the M4 Motorway, was originally designed as a garden village to house the workers for the refinery, built by...
and petrochemical plant at Baglan Bay
Baglan Bay
Baglan Bay is a part of the Swansea Bay coastline and a district of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. The area currently has no inhabitants and is entirely occupied by industrial and commercial developments. Baglan Bay is also the name of a local government community coterminous with the...
. Usage of the Queen's Dock reached its peak in the 1950s when oil imports and exports reached around 8 million tonnes per year. Since the closure of the oil plants at Baglan Bay
Baglan Bay
Baglan Bay is a part of the Swansea Bay coastline and a district of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. The area currently has no inhabitants and is entirely occupied by industrial and commercial developments. Baglan Bay is also the name of a local government community coterminous with the...
and Llandarcy
Llandarcy
Llandarcy is a village near Neath in Neath Port Talbot county borough, southwest Wales, and formerly the site of the UK's first oil refinery. The village, which lies near the Junction 43 of the M4 Motorway, was originally designed as a garden village to house the workers for the refinery, built by...
, the Queen's Dock was rendered obsolete and is now little used today.
History
Increases in industrial output and in trade in copper, zinc, iron and tinplate combined with the developments in shipping (whereby steamships of greater tonnage were replacing smaller sailing vessels) meant that by the late 19th century Swansea's harbour was in desperate need of expansion. The Swansea Harbour Trust (SHT) commissioned the construction of the Prince of Wales Dock, the first on the east side of the river. Opened in 1881 by the Prince & Princess of Wales (later Edward VII and Queen Alexandra), it was not completed until 1882. An additional expansion occurred in 1898. The North Quay frontage was let to the Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
, the Neath and Brecon Railway
Neath and Brecon Railway
The Neath and Brecon Railway linked the Vale of Neath Railway at Neath with the Brecon and Merthyr Railway at Brecon and also via a connection from Colbren Junction, it linked to the Swansea Vale Railway at Ynysygeinon Junction ....
and the Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway
Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway
The Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway connected the coal mines of the Rhondda Valley to the Swansea Bay ports.Connecting with the Taff Vale Railway at Treherbert, it had branches to Aberavon and Port Talbot docks. It was later extended to Swansea and a branch to Neath was added, bringing the total...
company, which linked the Dulais Valley
Dulais Valley
The Dulais Valley, one of the South Wales Valleys is traversed by the River Dulais in southwest Wales north of the town of Neath.Settlements in the valley include Crynant, Seven Sisters, Banwen and Dyffryn Cellwen which are served by the A4109 road though the valley.The towns in the valley...
and Rhondda
Rhondda
Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley , is a former coal mining valley in Wales, formerly a local government district, consisting of 16 communities built around the River Rhondda. The valley is made up of two valleys, the larger Rhondda Fawr valley and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley...
Valley coalfields directly with the docks. In addition to shunting locomotives operated by the SHT, further engines were provided by Powlesland and Mason
Powlesland and Mason (railway shunting contractors)
Powlesland and Mason were a company that provided steam locomotives and crews for shunting within Swansea Docks. The first name has sometimes been spelt "Powesland" and it is uncertain which spelling is correct.-Early history:...
from 1903 onwards.
Port of Swansea
The Port of Swansea is an AtlanticAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
shipping port operated by Associated British Ports
Associated British Ports Holdings
Associated British Ports Holdings Ltd owns and operates 21 ports in the United Kingdom, managing around 25 per cent of the UK's sea-borne trade...
which comprises the King's Dock, Queen's Dock, two dry docks and a roll on/roll off ferry terminal in the River Tawe.
Port facilities
The port has three transit shedsGoods shed
A goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train.A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built alongside a track with possibly just a canopy over the door...
with 25000 m² (269,097.8 sq ft) of storage space, 17 quayside cranes
Crane (machine)
A crane is a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves, that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It uses one or more simple machines to create mechanical advantage and thus move loads beyond the normal capability of...
, two drydocks, a roll-on/roll-off berth
Berth (moorings)
A berth is a location in a port or harbour used specifically for mooring vessels while not at sea.-Locations in a port:Berth is the term used in ports and harbors to define a specific location where a vessel may be berthed, usually for the purposes of loading and unloading.Most berths will be...
and container
Containerization
Containerization is a system of freight transport based on a range of steel intermodal containers...
terminal. It offers warehouses and facilities for handling dry bulks, minerals, ores
Orés
Orés is a municipality in the Cinco Villas, in the province of Zaragoza, in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It belongs to the comarca of Cinco Villas. It is placed 104 km to the northwest of the provincial capital city, Zaragoza. Its coordinates are: 42° 17' N, 1° 00' W, and is...
, forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
products and general cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
.
Ferry services
There is a roll on/roll off ferryFerry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
terminal in the western part of the docks. Between 1987 and 2006, a regular passenger and car ferry to Ringaskiddy
Ringaskiddy
Ringaskiddy is a village south of Cork city, in County Cork, Ireland. Located across Cork harbour south from Cóbh, and connected to Cork city by the N28 road the village is now a major ferry port Port of Cork with passenger ferry services to France & the United Kingdom.Ringaskiddy has seen huge...
in County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
departed from here. The ferry was operated by a company called Swansea Cork Ferries
Swansea Cork Ferries
Swansea Cork Ferries was a company that operated a RoRo service between Swansea and Cork from 1987 till 2006. The service is now operated by Fastnet Line.-History:...
. The ferry service was suspended from 2007 A website and online campaign / e-petition was started in an attempt to highlight the effect that the loss of the Swansea Cork ferry was having on Swansea and the South-West of Ireland. In April 2009, a newly formed co-operative purchased a new vessel to provide a service between Swansea and County Cork. This new ferry service will commence on 10 March 2010.
Future plans
In written evidence presented to the Welsh Assembly'sNational Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
Enterprise and Learning Committee in January 2008, Swansea University
Swansea University
Swansea University is a university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Swansea University was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. In 1996, it changed its name to the University of Wales Swansea following structural changes...
stated that it was "at an advanced stage of discussion" about a new 'Innovation Campus' on a second site. On 20 March 2008, the university announced that it would conduct a more detailed examination and feasibility assessment of a 100 acre (0.404686 km²) site off Fabian Way, covering an area from the docks and the former BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
plant to the Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
at Crymlyn Bog
Crymlyn Bog
Crymlyn Bog is a nature reserve and a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest of international significance, near Swansea, south Wales....
. The new campus could be home to Engineering, Computing, Telecommunications, the Business and Law Schools and a range of offices for large and small companies.