Port of Lowestoft
Encyclopedia
The Port of Lowestoft is a harbour in Lowestoft
in the English
county
of Suffolk
owned by Associated British Ports. It is the most easterly harbour in the United Kingdom
and has direct sea access to the North Sea
. The harbour is made up of two sections divided by a bascule bridge
. The inner harbour is formed by Lake Lothing
whilst the outer harbour is constructed from breakwaters.
Traditionally the harbour was the site for an extensive fishing industry as well as engineering and shipbuilding companies such as Brooke Marine
, Richards and Boulton and Paul
. The offshore oil and gas industry
has also operated from the harbour with Shell
maintaining their Southern Operations base in the harbour from the mid-1960s until 2003. Although the offshore industry remains important, many of these industries have now declined substantially. In the modern era the port is attempting to develop as a focus for the renewable energy sector.
The harbour is the focus for redevelopment proposals for Lowestoft in the form of the Lake Lothing and Outer Harbour Area Action Plan
submitted in February 2011. The plan focusses on the redevelopment of brownfield sites in and around the harbour area to create jobs, particularly in the renewable energy and retailing sectors.
The development of the harbour led to a rapid growth in the fishing industry and associated engineering and ship building companies such as Brooke Marine
, Richards and Boulton and Paul. Large scale ship building, which included the building of vessels for the Royal Navy, continued into the 1980s. The fishing heritage
of the harbour is celebrated through the museum ship Mincarlo
which is usually berthed in the yacht harbour during the summer.
The harbour was used as a naval base during World War I and World War II, particularly for the operation of auxiliary vessels, including armed trawlers such as Nelson
and Ethel & Millie
which were used to combat enemy U-boat
action in the North Sea. The Royal Naval Patrol Service
had its central depot in Lowestoft during World War II and a total of five naval bases were established in the town, primarily for minesweeping and coastal defence duties.
. The harbour is able to service vessels up to 125 metres in length. Modern transit sheds and a 14,000 tonne silo are available with a range of cranes and other facilities including a container terminal. There are also facilities for ship repairs, including a dry dock and a number of slipways.
Mutford Lock links the inner harbour to Oulton Broad
from where Oulton Dyke
provides access to the River Waveney
and Broads system
.
The port remains a centre for the oil and gas industries in the southern North Sea, including the construction of oil and gas platforms
. It is attempting to develop as a centre for renewable energy
within East Anglia, including the construction of wind turbine
s and developing tidal
and wave power
. Some ship building and repair still goes on in the harbour. The port stores emergency response equipment in case of an oil spill off the Suffolk coast resulting from ship to ship oil transfers.
The harbour is also a centre for the leisure industry
with a yacht harbour and marina
.
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
owned by Associated British Ports. It is the most easterly harbour in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and has direct sea access to the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. The harbour is made up of two sections divided by a bascule bridge
Bascule bridge
A bascule bridge is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or "leaf," throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic....
. The inner harbour is formed by Lake Lothing
Lake Lothing
Lake Lothing is a saltwater lake located in Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. The lake, which is believed to be the remnant of medieval peat cutting, flows into the North Sea and forms part of the Port of Lowestoft...
whilst the outer harbour is constructed from breakwaters.
Traditionally the harbour was the site for an extensive fishing industry as well as engineering and shipbuilding companies such as Brooke Marine
Brooke Marine
Brooke Marine was a Lowestoft-based shipbuilding firm. The company constructed boats and small ships for civilian and commercial use, as well as minor warships for the Royal Navy, Royal Navy of Oman, Royal Australian Navy, Kenya Navy and United States Navy.The company was founded in 1874 as a...
, Richards and Boulton and Paul
Boulton & Paul Ltd
Boulton & Paul was a British general manufacturer from Norwich that became involved in aircraft manufacture.Jeld Wen Inc, bought Boulton & Paul Boulton & Paul was a British general manufacturer from Norwich that became involved in aircraft manufacture.Jeld Wen Inc, bought Boulton & Paul Boulton &...
. The offshore oil and gas industry
Petroleum industry
The petroleum industry includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transporting , and marketing petroleum products. The largest volume products of the industry are fuel oil and gasoline...
has also operated from the harbour with Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
maintaining their Southern Operations base in the harbour from the mid-1960s until 2003. Although the offshore industry remains important, many of these industries have now declined substantially. In the modern era the port is attempting to develop as a focus for the renewable energy sector.
The harbour is the focus for redevelopment proposals for Lowestoft in the form of the Lake Lothing and Outer Harbour Area Action Plan
Area Action Plan
An area action plan is an optional development plan document specified in United Kingdom planning law forming part of a local development framework...
submitted in February 2011. The plan focusses on the redevelopment of brownfield sites in and around the harbour area to create jobs, particularly in the renewable energy and retailing sectors.
History
The harbour was originally built by the Lowestoft and Norwich Navigation Company and developed by the Norfolk Railway following the construction of the Norwich to Lowestoft railway. The original Inner Harbour was constructed in 1837 and the Outer Harbour in 1927. The railway line ran alongside the north side of the docks and a series of docks railway sidings were used mainly for fishing and freight wagons. These lines have mainly been removed from service but in places sections of the track can still be seen.The development of the harbour led to a rapid growth in the fishing industry and associated engineering and ship building companies such as Brooke Marine
Brooke Marine
Brooke Marine was a Lowestoft-based shipbuilding firm. The company constructed boats and small ships for civilian and commercial use, as well as minor warships for the Royal Navy, Royal Navy of Oman, Royal Australian Navy, Kenya Navy and United States Navy.The company was founded in 1874 as a...
, Richards and Boulton and Paul. Large scale ship building, which included the building of vessels for the Royal Navy, continued into the 1980s. The fishing heritage
Fishing industry
The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products....
of the harbour is celebrated through the museum ship Mincarlo
Mincarlo (trawler)
Mincarlo is the last surviving sidewinder fishing trawler of the Lowestoft fishing fleet. She is also the last surviving fishing vessel built in Lowestoft, with an engine made in the town.-Construction:...
which is usually berthed in the yacht harbour during the summer.
The harbour was used as a naval base during World War I and World War II, particularly for the operation of auxiliary vessels, including armed trawlers such as Nelson
Armed trawler Nelson
Armed trawler Nelson was a British auxiliary warship which served during World War I.She was built in 1905 as the fishing smack G&E, operating from Lowestoft and registered as LT 649....
and Ethel & Millie
Armed trawler "Ethel & Millie"
The Armed trawler Ethel & Millie was a British auxiliary warship which served during World War I.She was built in 1908 as the fishing smack Ethel & Millie, operating from Lowestoft and registered as LT 200....
which were used to combat enemy U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
action in the North Sea. The Royal Naval Patrol Service
Royal Naval Patrol Service
The Royal Naval Patrol Service was a branch of the Royal Navy active during the Second World War. The RNPS operated many small auxiliary vessels such as naval trawlers for anti-submarine and minesweeping operations to protect coastal Britain and convoys during WWII.-History:The Royal Naval Patrol...
had its central depot in Lowestoft during World War II and a total of five naval bases were established in the town, primarily for minesweeping and coastal defence duties.
Features
The port's main entrance can accommodate vessels up to 35 metres in width, with vessels 22 metres wide being able to access the inner harbour through the Bascule BridgeBascule Bridge
The Normand Edward Fontaine Bridge is a -long bascule bridge at in Westport, Massachusetts, USA. Four lanes of Route 88 pass over the bridge from Westport Point and Wood Point in the Westport Point section of town to the Horseneck Beach State Reservation, connecting with Cherry & Webb Lane and,...
. The harbour is able to service vessels up to 125 metres in length. Modern transit sheds and a 14,000 tonne silo are available with a range of cranes and other facilities including a container terminal. There are also facilities for ship repairs, including a dry dock and a number of slipways.
Mutford Lock links the inner harbour to Oulton Broad
Oulton Broad
Oulton Broad refers to both the lake and the suburb of Lowestoft in Suffolk, England located 2 miles west of the centre of the town.-Oulton Broad:...
from where Oulton Dyke
Oulton Dyke
Oulton Dyke is a freshwater stretch of water in The Broads National Park, located in Suffolk within the United Kingdom. The dyke connects Oulton Broad near Lowestoft to the River Waveney by means of a confluence near the village of Burgh St Peter....
provides access to the River Waveney
River Waveney
The Waveney is a river which forms the border between Suffolk and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads.-Course:The source of the River Waveney is a ditch on the east side of the B1113 road between the villages of Redgrave, Suffolk and South Lopham, Norfolk...
and Broads system
The Broads
The Broads are a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Broads, and some surrounding land were constituted as a special area with a level of protection similar to a UK National Park by The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act of 1988...
.
Industries
The harbour remains the site of Lowestoft fish market, although by 2011 only three traders remained. The long term future of the fish market is under threat as the port seeks to redevelop.The port remains a centre for the oil and gas industries in the southern North Sea, including the construction of oil and gas platforms
Oil platform
An oil platform, also referred to as an offshore platform or, somewhat incorrectly, oil rig, is a lаrge structure with facilities to drill wells, to extract and process oil and natural gas, and to temporarily store product until it can be brought to shore for refining and marketing...
. It is attempting to develop as a centre for renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
within East Anglia, including the construction of wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
s and developing tidal
Tidal power
Tidal power, also called tidal energy, is a form of hydropower that converts the energy of tides into useful forms of power - mainly electricity....
and wave power
Wave power
Wave power is the transport of energy by ocean surface waves, and the capture of that energy to do useful work — for example, electricity generation, water desalination, or the pumping of water...
. Some ship building and repair still goes on in the harbour. The port stores emergency response equipment in case of an oil spill off the Suffolk coast resulting from ship to ship oil transfers.
The harbour is also a centre for the leisure industry
Leisure industry
The leisure industry is the segment of business focused on entertainment, recreation, and tourism related products and services. The field has developed to the point of having university degrees and disciplines focused on it, such as the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, and San...
with a yacht harbour and marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
.