Seaforth Dock (also known as the
Royal Seaforth Dock) is a purpose-built
dock and
container terminal, on the
River Mersey,
England, at
Seaforth, to the north of
Liverpool. As part of the
Port of Liverpool and Liverpool Freeport, it is operated by the
Mersey Docks and Harbour Company. Situated at the northern end of the dock system, it is connected to
Gladstone Dock to the south, which via its
lock entrance provides maritime access to Seaforth Dock from the river.
Despite planning permission having been obtained almost sixty years previously, work commenced during the 1960s on Liverpool's largest dock facility. The dock was the largest in the United Kingdom at the time of construction with the world's largest lock gates.
Opened in 1972, the site consists of about and deals mainly in containers, oils,
timber, fruit & vegetables,
grain and
animal feed. The dock became a
free port in 1984.
New terminals at the Dock
A fruit and vegetable terminal opened at the dock in 2008. The terminal primarily received produce from
Spain.
A planned
Post-Panamax container terminal extension will berth the world's largest container ships on the tidal
River Mersey side of Seaforth Dock. These ships transport up to 14,000 containers per ship. This facility will increase container throughput by 100%.
Improved rail connections increase throughput
Approximately 70% of the North West of England's freight runs through Liverpool. Seaforth container terminal is the prime container terminal for North America. Seaforth Dock is served by one rail line, the Canada Dock branch line. The
Olive Mount rail chord at Edge Hill junction was re-opened early 2009 to increase the throughput of the service to Seaforth Dock by approximately 100%. The chord gives direct access for freight from the Port of Liverpool to the
West Coast Main Line. The chord also releases line capacity for a proposed partial re-use of the line for passengers serving mainly the proposed
Liverpool FC Stanley Park Stadium. There are no proposals to extend passenger services to Seaforth Dock.
The reinstatement of the chord was essential for existing port operations and ready for the 100% increase in freight when the planned
Post-Panamax container terminal extension is ready at Seaforth Dock. A high throughput on the Canada Dock branch rail line is essential for efficient port operation.
It is hoped the Olive Mount rail chord reinstatement will remove large road vehicles from congested areas around the port and major road junctions, such as
Switch Island, giving many environmental benefits.
Wind turbines
,
Wirral, England]]
In 1999, Peel Energy installed six
Vestas V44-600kW
wind turbines along the river wall for a total
nameplate capacity of 3.6
MW.{{Cite web
|url=http://www.renewables-map.co.uk/details.asp?pageid=327
|title=Royal Seaforth Dock (Wind, Operating)
|publisher=Interactive Map of Renewable and Alternative Energy Projects in the UK
|accessdate=2009-10-05
}}
References
External links