This Page contains a brief description of operations at the port followed by links to sub-pages.
Located on the Solway Firth, Silloth is the most northerly port on the west coast of England. A port has been established in the town for over 150yrs handling a variety of cargos. Over that time considerable rebuilding & expansion has taken place resulting in the modern facility that exists today.
Carr's Flour Mill, situated on the quayside has been a major customer for wheat imports since the 19th century. (Carr's flour milling business was acquired by Whitworths in Sept 2016). Originally, ships sailed directly from N.America & Australia, but today all wheat is sourced within Europe. The remainder of the port's trade serves local agriculture such as the import of fertiliser.
Inbound vessels anchor off Workington to await the pilot tug which transfers the pilot before making the sailing north.
The local knowledge of the pilot is essential to safely navigate the approach to the port due to the constantly changing waters of the Solway estuary as it narrows towards Silloth.
Entry to the port is only possible at high water, not only to benefit from maximum water depth but also to avoid strong counter-currents across the dock entrance.
Three new marker buoys on the quayside (March '16) waiting for finishing touches to be added before being deployed in the narrow channel between Allonby & Silloth.
Labelled 'Solway', 'Beckfoot' & 'Corner' they will be moved into position by tug & anchored to concrete blocks.
They will mark critical points on the dogleg route from Workington where there are sandbanks to one side and boulder fields to the other to the north of Dubmill Point.
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Special thanks are due to the Harbourmaster & his Staff at ABP Silloth for their help and support in developing the website.
It's always a pleasure to watch the Security Team at work around the port; here's a few shots of the senior member of the team.
'Click' on the images below for links to the sub-pages :-