J3576 : The Alexandra Dock, Belfast (2013)

taken 11 years ago, 3 km from Belfast, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland

The Alexandra Dock, Belfast (2013)
The Alexandra Dock, Belfast (2013)
The Alexandra Dock (opened 1889) with part of the cruise ship terminal site on the right.
Former proposed cruise ship terminals, Belfast harbour

On 13 June 2013 the Belfast Harbour Commissioners announced their intention to build a new terminal on the eastern side of the Victoria Channel: “Belfast is 'Cruising' with £7m investment in Ireland's first purpose built cruise facility The investment will ensure that Belfast will be able to handle all cruise ships currently operating in the Irish Sea, as well as next generation ships which carry over 4,500 passengers and crew. It will also enable visitors to disembark directly within walking distance of the city’s Titanic visitor attractions - Titanic’s Dock & Pumphouse, Titanic Belfast and SS Nomadic. A record 60 ships are scheduled to call at Belfast this year representing a 45% jump in passengers and crew, up from 75,000 to 110,000 in just one year. Associated spend with cruise visits is expected to generate more than £18m for the local economy in 2013”.
The site is on the western side of the existing Alexandra Dock to the south of the Thompson (“Titanic’s”) Dock and will use land which was (to the best of my knowledge) previously occupied by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Naval Reserve.
The photographs submitted by me appear as a matter of geographical and historical record only. I have no connection with the Commissioners.
This project has been abandoned in favour of a new site at Airport Road West.
There is the following planning permission: “LA04/2016/0421/F Construction of a new multi-purpose facility at D3 for berthing of cruise ships, and for lay-by and transient storage of project cargo, break bulk and dry bulk during cruise ship off season. Development comprises the construction of 340m long solid quay with mooring dolphins, dredging of the berthing pocket and infilling behind the new quay wall using imported clean fill materials, construction of a 25m wide piled relieving slab along the quay length, with heavy duty paving surfacing on the quay/slab hinterland, access road, security gates, access barrier and kiosk at Airport Road West, modular terminal building, shore side facilities, lighting, fencing, screen bund and landscaping. Land at D3 adjacent to the RSPB Reserve Airport Road West Belfast BT3 9DY”.

Note added 29 July 2029 - this project may now be considered abandoned following the decision to convert the nearby berth D1 (built for the assembly of offshore wind turbine parts) as a dedicated cruise terminal - “Cruise Belfast – the partnership between Belfast Harbour and Visit Belfast, has opened the first dedicated cruise terminal on the island of Ireland to cater for Belfast’s growing popularity as a cruise destination.
Belfast Harbour has invested more than £500,000 on upgrading the quayside facility which now includes a Visitor Information Centre, part funded by Tourism NI and managed by Visit Belfast.  This investment represents an important step in the development of the city’s cruise tourism infrastructure. The new terminal is staffed by Visit Belfast’s travel advisors and utilises the latest digital and audio-visual technology to showcase Belfast and Northern Ireland’s visitor attractions. 
The newly developed site includes the space required to service the shore side activities associated with cruise tourism for coaches, shuttle buses and taxis, and a berth which has been dredged to accommodate newer and larger cruise ships” Harbour Commissioner’s press release dated 29 July 2019.

Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Albert Bridge and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
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J3576, 974 images   (more nearby search)
Photographer
Date Taken
Wednesday, 3 July, 2013   (more nearby)
Submitted
Wednesday, 3 July, 2013
Geographical Context
Historic sites and artefacts  Construction, Development 
Place (from Tags)
Belfast 
Subject Location
Irish: geotagged! J 355 760 [100m precision]
WGS84: 54:36.8404N 5:54.1466W
Camera Location
Irish: geotagged! J 355 760
View Direction
South-southwest (about 202 degrees)
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Other Tags
Harbour  Development Site  Dock  Cruise Ship Terminal (Proposed)  Historic Site 

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Image classification(about): Geograph
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