Poole Harbour - Marine Activity

Marine Activity

Once a major port, freight transport has declined, but the port is still served by regular cross-Channel passenger ferries with Brittany Ferries offering a passenger and freight service to Cherbourg as well as a freight only route to Santander twice a week on the MV Cotentin. Condor Ferries operate to the Channel Islands and St Malo as well as joint high speed service with Brittany Ferries to Cherbourg.

Coastal trading vessels are also frequent visitors, unloading various cargos on the quaysides at Hamworthy, and fleet of fishing vessels operates from the south end of Poole Quay. There is considerable leisure usage of the harbour, by a combination of yachts and other private craft, cruise boats that ply the harbour, and ferries that provide a passenger link to Brownsea Island. The harbour is managed by the Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) who represent all aspects of commercial and leisure activity in the harbour. Their duties include maintaining the shipping channels for the ferries and cargo vessels, enforcing harbour speed limits, improving port facilities and assisting with nature conservation.

In November 2005 the main shipping channels into the harbour and the Port of Poole were dredged in order to accommodate modern ferries at all states of the tide. The project was carried out by Van Oord, and on completion the depth had been increased from 6 metres (20 ft) to 7.5 metres (25 ft). Approximately 1.8 million cubic metres of sand and silt were dredged from the approach channels to the Harbour and port, and 1.1 million m3 was made available to the local beaches of Poole, Bournemouth and Purbeck for beach replenishment.

Poole Harbour Commissioners define the main shipping channels, in which leisure craft should take care, as :

• The Swash Channel from the Bar Buoy to the Chain Ferry
• The Haven Channel from the Chain Ferry to 16 buoy
• The Middle Ship Channel, from 16 buoy to Stakes
• The Turning Basin, off the Ferry Port
• The Little Channel from Stakes to Poole Bridge.