Port of Belfast
Encyclopedia
Belfast Harbour is a major maritime gateway in Northern Ireland
, serving the Northern Ireland economy
and increasingly that of the Republic of Ireland. With almost 1.2 million passengers and half a million freight units annually, Belfast
is Ireland's second largest maritime gateway.
It is a major centre of industry and commerce and has become established as the focus of logistics activity for Northern Ireland. Around two thirds of Northern Ireland's seaborne trade, and a quarter of that for Ireland as a whole, is handled at the port which receives over 6000 vessels each year.. The Port of Belfast is located at the centre of Northern Ireland’s largest industrial and commercial zone with two thirds of the region’s major industrial employers located within 15 km of the Port.
It is Ireland's leading dry bulk port, dominating the market with regard to imports of grain and animal feeds
, coal, fertilisers and cement. Over 95% of Northern Ireland's petroleum and oil products are also handled at the Port.
The Port and its land have been valued recently at over £10 billion.
During World War II the Port of Belfast was used by the Royal Navy
as the home base for many of the ships that escorted Atlantic and Russian convoys
including Captain-class
frigates of the 3rd Escort Group. HMS Caroline
is a First World War light cruiser permanently berthed within Belfast Harbour and currently serves as the training ship for some 130 reservists as the headquarters for the Ulster Division Royal Naval Reserve. She is the second oldest commissioned warship in the Royal Navy.
Belfast West Power Station (formerly Power Station West) was opened in 1961 on a site within the port subleased to the Belfast Corporation Electricity Department. This subleased is today held by Northern Ireland Electricity
. The station continued to generate electricity until its closure in March 2002. On 6 July 2007 the station's three 240 ft (73.2 m) chimneys were demolished by controlled explosion and the remainder of the site was cleared in the following months. The site continues to be managed by NIE on behalf of the utility regulator which has stated that the various conditions of the lease "suggest that the best use for the site going forward is electrical generation."
The Commissioners currently number fifteen and are led by a Chairman. The positions are remunerated and are for terms of four years. All of the Commissioners with the exception of the Chief Executive are non-executives.
Len O'Hagan (Chairman),
Roy Adair (CEO),
Noel Brady,
Councillor David Browne,
Trefor Campbell,
Councillor Patrick Convery,
Peter Curistan,
Peter Dixon,
Ronnie Foreman,
Councillor Danny Lavery,
Mary McMahon,
Steve Pollard,
Ross Reed,
Councillor David Rodway and David Russell.
's Belfast-Stanraer route and Belfast-Heysham service together carried 307,000 freight vehicles. This figure represents 20% of the Irish Sea Ro-Ro market. 125,000 containers
and 6.0 million tonnes of bulk cargo
were handled in 2009. Stena Line now runs between Belfast and Birkenhead. The two ships that run that way are called Stena Lagan and Stena Mersey.
The 2 cruise berths that are used are the Pollock dock for smaller ships and the Stormont Wharf (deep water berth) for larger ships, The extended Stormont Wharf was opened on 30 June 2009 by the Grand Princess
.
Pollock Dock: (Length 457M, depth 8.5m)
Stormont Wharf (Length 177M, depth 10.2m)
Belfast Harbour's largest property project is the Titanic Quarter, which is "co-promoted" with Titanic Quarter Limited.
Belfast Harbour Commissioners and its partners made the first planning application for Holywood Exchange (previously known as D5 or Harbour Exchange) on 14 November 1995. Planning permission was granted twice and then successfully challenged. The third time planning permission was granted it was again challenged, but this time unsuccessfully. Construction began in December 2002 and when completed the development consisted of an 11 unit 13,940 m2 (150,000 ft2) retail warehouse centre, a Sainsbury's store and service station, and a B&Q
store. A 29,000 m2 (312,000 ft2) IKEA store opened on 13 December 2007.
arena and pavilion is built on land owned by The Odyssey Trust under a 150 year lease with Belfast Harbour Commissioners.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, serving the Northern Ireland economy
Economy of Northern Ireland
The economy of Northern Ireland is the smallest of the four countries in the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland has traditionally had an industrial economy, most notably in shipbuilding, rope manufacture and textiles, but most heavy industry has since been replaced by services...
and increasingly that of the Republic of Ireland. With almost 1.2 million passengers and half a million freight units annually, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
is Ireland's second largest maritime gateway.
It is a major centre of industry and commerce and has become established as the focus of logistics activity for Northern Ireland. Around two thirds of Northern Ireland's seaborne trade, and a quarter of that for Ireland as a whole, is handled at the port which receives over 6000 vessels each year.. The Port of Belfast is located at the centre of Northern Ireland’s largest industrial and commercial zone with two thirds of the region’s major industrial employers located within 15 km of the Port.
It is Ireland's leading dry bulk port, dominating the market with regard to imports of grain and animal feeds
Compound feed
Compound feeds are feedstuffs that are blended from various raw materials and additives. These blends are formulated according to the specific requirements of the target animal...
, coal, fertilisers and cement. Over 95% of Northern Ireland's petroleum and oil products are also handled at the Port.
The Port and its land have been valued recently at over £10 billion.
History
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as the home base for many of the ships that escorted Atlantic and Russian convoys
Arctic convoys of World War II
The Arctic convoys of World War II travelled from the United Kingdom and North America to the northern ports of the Soviet Union—Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. There were 78 convoys between August 1941 and May 1945...
including Captain-class
Captain class frigate
The Captain class were 78 frigates of the Royal Navy, constructed in the United States, launched in 1942–1943 and delivered to the United Kingdom under the provisions of Lend-Lease. They served in World War II as convoy escorts, anti-submarine warfare vessels and coastal forces control frigates...
frigates of the 3rd Escort Group. HMS Caroline
HMS Caroline (1914)
HMS Caroline was a C-class light cruiser of the British Royal Navy. Caroline was launched and commissioned in 1914. At the time of her decommissioning in 2011 she was the second-oldest ship in Royal Navy service, after HMS Victory...
is a First World War light cruiser permanently berthed within Belfast Harbour and currently serves as the training ship for some 130 reservists as the headquarters for the Ulster Division Royal Naval Reserve. She is the second oldest commissioned warship in the Royal Navy.
Belfast West Power Station (formerly Power Station West) was opened in 1961 on a site within the port subleased to the Belfast Corporation Electricity Department. This subleased is today held by Northern Ireland Electricity
Northern Ireland Electricity
Northern Ireland Electricity Limited is the electricity asset owner of the transmission and distribution infrastructure in Northern Ireland. NIE does not own generate or supply electricity. NIE is a subsidiary of ESB Group....
. The station continued to generate electricity until its closure in March 2002. On 6 July 2007 the station's three 240 ft (73.2 m) chimneys were demolished by controlled explosion and the remainder of the site was cleared in the following months. The site continues to be managed by NIE on behalf of the utility regulator which has stated that the various conditions of the lease "suggest that the best use for the site going forward is electrical generation."
Management
Belfast Harbour is a brand created to promote the maritime business interests of the Belfast Harbour Commissioners. The Commissioners were created by an Act of Parliament in 1847 and the organisation is often referred to as "Trust Port", i.e. their role is to manage, maintain, and improve the port of Belfast.The Commissioners currently number fifteen and are led by a Chairman. The positions are remunerated and are for terms of four years. All of the Commissioners with the exception of the Chief Executive are non-executives.
Board members
The current Commissioners (December 2009) are:Len O'Hagan (Chairman),
Roy Adair (CEO),
Noel Brady,
Councillor David Browne,
Trefor Campbell,
Councillor Patrick Convery,
Peter Curistan,
Peter Dixon,
Ronnie Foreman,
Councillor Danny Lavery,
Mary McMahon,
Steve Pollard,
Ross Reed,
Councillor David Rodway and David Russell.
Operations
Freight
The port handled 15.7 million tonnes of freight in 2009. Stena LineStena Line
Stena Line is one of the world's largest ferry operators, with ferry services serving Scotland, Sweden, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Norway, England, Wales, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. Stena Line is a major unit of Stena AB, itself a part of the Stena Sphere, a grouping of Stena AB,...
's Belfast-Stanraer route and Belfast-Heysham service together carried 307,000 freight vehicles. This figure represents 20% of the Irish Sea Ro-Ro market. 125,000 containers
Shipping container
A shipping container is a container with strength suitable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling. Shipping containers range from large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments to the ubiquitous corrugated boxes...
and 6.0 million tonnes of bulk cargo
Bulk cargo
Bulk cargo is commodity cargo that is transported unpackaged in large quantities. This cargo is usually dropped or poured, with a spout or shovel bucket, as a liquid or as a mass of relatively small solids , into a bulk carrier ship's hold, railroad car, or tanker truck/trailer/semi-trailer body...
were handled in 2009. Stena Line now runs between Belfast and Birkenhead. The two ships that run that way are called Stena Lagan and Stena Mersey.
Passenger services
1.3 million passengers used the port's ferry services in 2009. Routes from the Port of Belfast include:- Stena LineStena LineStena Line is one of the world's largest ferry operators, with ferry services serving Scotland, Sweden, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Norway, England, Wales, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. Stena Line is a major unit of Stena AB, itself a part of the Stena Sphere, a grouping of Stena AB,...
(Stranraer)(Birkenhead) - Isle of Man Steam Packet Company (Isle of Man)
Cruise ships
It is increasingly popular with cruise liners, with 35 ships visiting in 2009.The 2 cruise berths that are used are the Pollock dock for smaller ships and the Stormont Wharf (deep water berth) for larger ships, The extended Stormont Wharf was opened on 30 June 2009 by the Grand Princess
Grand Princess
Grand Princess is a Grand-class cruise ship owned by Princess Cruises. Built in 1998 by Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani in Monfalcone , Italy, at a cost of approximately US$450 million, she was the largest and most expensive passenger ship ever built at the time...
.
Pollock Dock: (Length 457M, depth 8.5m)
Stormont Wharf (Length 177M, depth 10.2m)
Property
Belfast Harbour has extensive property interests spread over approximately 1950 acres (7.9 km²). 855 acres are used directly for port operations, 90 acres (364,217.4 m²) are reserved for nature conservation and the remaining 1,005 are either leased or under negotiation.Titanic Quarter
Holywood Exchange
Belfast Harbour Commissioners and its partners made the first planning application for Holywood Exchange (previously known as D5 or Harbour Exchange) on 14 November 1995. Planning permission was granted twice and then successfully challenged. The third time planning permission was granted it was again challenged, but this time unsuccessfully. Construction began in December 2002 and when completed the development consisted of an 11 unit 13,940 m2 (150,000 ft2) retail warehouse centre, a Sainsbury's store and service station, and a B&Q
B&Q
B&Q plc is a multinational DIY and home improvement retailer headquartered in Eastleigh, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1969 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kingfisher plc, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange....
store. A 29,000 m2 (312,000 ft2) IKEA store opened on 13 December 2007.
Other
The OdysseyOdyssey (Belfast)
The Odyssey Arena is a large sports and entertainment centre situated in Titanic Quarter, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was jointly funded by the Millennium Commission, the Laganside Corporation, the DCAL, the Sheridan Group and the Sports Council for Northern Ireland. The Arena opened in 2000 with...
arena and pavilion is built on land owned by The Odyssey Trust under a 150 year lease with Belfast Harbour Commissioners.