Port Information

Portsmouth is one of the busiest harbours in the country the grand total for significant movements is 117,000 a year. The number of yachts that are licensed to moor in the harbour are 5,000.

Traffic co-ordination for shipping entering and leaving Portsmouth Harbour is performed by Harbour Control which is manned 24 hours per day by a minimum of 2 usually 3 qualified people, one of whom is always a Admiralty Pilot. All vessels over 20 metres LOA must obtain permission before entering, leaving or moving within the harbour.

Portsmouth Harbour is a very large natural harbour almost completely landlocked except for the narrow entrance. The approaches themselves are also well sheltered by the Isle of Wight

A total of 11 Admiralty Pilots who not only provide pilotage support to warships entering and leaving the harbour, but also when they move between berths and docks within the harbour. When ships are taken into or out of dry dock, they will always be involved and responsible for the safety of the ships for the majority of the evolution.

The most famous and historically important ships in the harbour are MARY ROSE, VICTORY and WARRIOR. Portsmouth is Britain’s premier Naval Base! And is home to HMS ILLUSTRIOUS and HMS ARK ROYAL where on any day you will find 8,000 people working.

The Queen’s Harbour Master is the Statutory Harbour Authority for the Dockyard Port of Portsmouth a post that dates back to 1808 when the first King’s Harbour Master in Portsmouth was appointed.

In 1865 the Dockyard Ports Regulation Act was passed, which gives QHM quite extensive powers. The main purpose of QHM is to oversee and enforce the Act. Cascading from this piece of primary legislation is the Order in Council relating to QHM’s area. The Dockyard Port of Portsmouth Order 2005. Together, the Act and the Order provide QHM with powers to issue directions to all vessels within the Dockyard Port, be they commercial, private or military.

The limits of the Dockyard Port cover not only Portsmouth Harbour itself, but it includes all the waters from Cowes in the West to Hayling Island down to Sandown Bay in the East with the single exception of Bembridge Harbour. The Naval Base itself comprises only a small part of the geographical area of the Dockyard Port.