Port of Fleetwood
Port information: Fleetwood
Everything on this page is the position as at the transfer date, 18/09/2026. Check the notices to mariners before you sail. A notice overrides this page.
Check the notices to mariners before you sail. A notice overrides this page.
Limits of the harbour
The harbour limits are those of the Port of Fleetwood as constituted by its local Acts and shown on the port layout plan relied on for The Ports of Fleetwood and Silloth (Transfer of Undertaking) Harbour Revision Order 2026. The limits did not change on transfer.
The harbour master's jurisdiction at Fleetwood was extended by section 12 of the Associated British Ports Act 1983. That extension attaches to the harbour, not to the former authority.
Harbour limits plan and written description. This is being confirmed and will be published here.
Approach and channel
Vessels approach through the buoyed dock channel in the River Wyre, then through the lock at the lockhead into the enclosed dock.
Buoy positions
Buoys 23, 24 and 25 were moved and a new buoy 27 laid, promulgated by Fleetwood Local Notice to Mariners 024 of 2024, dated 19/11/2024. Positions are given in the format DD.MM.MMMMM.
| Buoy | Position |
|---|---|
| 23 | 53 55.24728'N 003 0.15576'W (the former position of buoy 24) |
| 24 | 53 55.23346'N 003 0.18601'W |
| 25 | 53 55.22636'N 003 0.37863'W |
| 27 | 53 55.19428'N 003 0.43716'W |
Buoy 24
Buoy 24 sits where the chart says it sits. The problem is that the channel has moved around it, so the charted position is now on the northern edge of the deep water. Allow for that when you plan your track.
Current defects
As at 30/06/2026, buoy no 9, starboard hand, was reported unlit and buoy no 6, port hand, had been restored. Navigate the channel with care. This was Fleetwood Local Notice to Mariners 007 of 2026 and it is a temporary notice. Check the notices index for the current position.
Soundings
Hydrographic surveys of the River Wyre, Wyre Dock and Fish Dock were carried out on 04/02/2026, and a buoy check was carried out on 19/03/2026. See surveys and soundings.
Survey drawings and buoy check under the new name. This is being confirmed and will be published here.
Lock and tidal access
In normal operation the lock gates are open for three hours around each high water: from 1.5 hours before high water until 1.5 hours after.
The gates open later or close earlier when:
- the tide is neap
- the tide is cut by high pressure
- sluicing of the dock channel is planned
- any other dredging work is under way
Sluicing
Sluicing drops the level in the dock, and the drop can be two metres or more. Leave plenty of slack in your lines. Nobody may lie on the waiting pontoon while sluicing is under way, and the gates shut a little earlier on the high water before each sluicing period.
| Date | Period |
|---|---|
| 10/10/2026 | AM |
| 11/10/2026 | AM |
The 2026 programme was published as Fleetwood Local Notice to Mariners 001 of 2026, dated 02/01/2026, and runs out in October 2026.
2027 sluicing programme. This is being confirmed and will be published here.
VHF and reporting
Call sign Fleetwood Dock. Working channel VHF Channel 12. You must call and get permission:
- inbound in the dock channel, by the time you are abeam the RoRo berth at the latest, for permission to run the channel and enter the dock or the marina
- when you are ready to slip from any berth in the dock or the marina, for permission to leave and to run the channel
- before you move from one berth to another inside the dock or the marina
- before you come off the fuel berth or the lifting berth
Call again before you move anywhere inside the marina. That is how you get told what else is on the move. These requirements come from Fleetwood Local Notice to Mariners 010 of 2022, dated 11/07/2022, which remains in force.
Speed
Go no faster than you need to hold steerage, and keep your wash down while you are in Wyre Dock or Fish Dock. Fleetwood Local Notice to Mariners 008 of 2022 applies.
Berths and ship acceptance
| Berth | Quay length | Depth | Max length | Max beam | Max draught | Approx. dwt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyre Fish Dock | 800 m | 5.5 m | 60 m | 14.1 m | 5.5 m | 1,200 |
| RoRo berth | 150 m | 3.5 m | 160 m | 20.3 m | 4.2 m | 5,000 |
| Isle of Man berth | 91 m | Not published | 107 m | No restriction | 4.5 m | Not published |
Queries about maximum dimensions, pilotage or VHF coverage, or about a vessel that sits outside this table, go to the harbour master. Acceptance of any vessel is at the harbour master's discretion and depends on the tide, the weather and the state of the channel on the day.
Isle of Man berth depth and deadweight. This is being confirmed and will be published here.
Harbour master's name and contact route. This is being confirmed and will be published here.
Marina berths
The marina is in Wyre Dock and has sections A to G. Sections A, B and D are shut to navigation, with no end date given, under Fleetwood Local Notice to Mariners 006 of 2022, dated 31/05/2022. Coming in from the fairway, you enter C Section between the two yellow capped piles. See the marina pages for berthing, facilities and tariffs.
Services
Towage
Towage at Fleetwood. This is being confirmed and will be published here.
Bunkering
Bunkering at Fleetwood is carried out under a procedure set by the harbour authority, covering fuel and fresh water. The procedure was published as Fleetwood Local Notice to Mariners 004 of 2024, dated 01/01/2024, and it remains in force. The marina has a fuel berth. Movements to and from it must be reported on VHF Channel 12.
Bunkering procedure under the new name. This is being confirmed and will be published here.
Water
There is no water on the Fish Quay. Those points were shut off and are not in service. Water on the pontoons is for leisure customers of the marina and for nobody else, so a commercial vessel needing water has to bring it in by road tanker. This follows Fleetwood Local Notice to Mariners 014 of 2024, dated 16/05/2024.
Waste
The marina has ship waste disposal points, waste oil disposal, recycling points and spill kits. See the environment and waste page.
Port waste reception facilities. This is being confirmed and will be published here.
Work in the harbour
Diving, drones and other work
Work in the harbour, including diving and the use of drones, needs the harbour master's permission or consent. The requirement was published as Fleetwood Local Notice to Mariners 003 of 2024, dated 01/01/2024. That notice says the flying of drones is covered by a separate procedure.
Drone procedure. This is being confirmed and will be published here.
Mooring on quay walls
Guidance on safe mooring on the quay walls was published as Fleetwood Local Notice to Mariners 018 of 2023, dated 14/11/2023, and remains in force.
Pilotage
Pilotage is not published for Fleetwood. Direct pilotage queries to the harbour master. Ask the harbour master before you rely on anything about pilotage at Fleetwood.
Pilotage at Fleetwood. This is being confirmed and will be published here.
Marine traffic
Live shipping movements. This is being confirmed and will be published here.