Decommissioning of Unloading Jetty at Port Talbot Tidal Harbour
Rendered obsolete by the rundown and eventual termination of blast furnace steel making at TATA's Port Talbot works, the unloading jetty at Port Talbot Tidal Harbour received its final ship at the end of August 2024. Completed in 1970, cargoes of iron ore & coking coal totalling around 300 million tonnes have been discharged at the jetty during its 54 years of continuous operation.
Last cargo of iron ore
On 30th July 2024 the bulk carrier CMB Van Dijk departed Port Talbot after unloading 55,000 tonnes of iron ore pellets from New Orleans – sadly the last ever cargo of iron ore to be discharged at the dedicated jetty within the tidal harbour.
Last ship to be discharged
Then finally, on 31st August 2024, the bulk carrier Trinity Island became the very last ship to berth at the jetty, discharging 44.000 tonnes of coke from Japan before departing on the morning of 2nd September. It was a very sad moment for all concerned as Trinity Island sailed quietly out to sea under the guidance of local pilot Capt. Ben Ball and escorted by a flotilla of small vessels including harbour tugs, the pilot cutter Terra Nova, and lifeboats from RNLI stations at Port Talbot, Mumbles & Porthcawl. Looking on was ex ABP pilot John Lewis, who welcomed the first ever carrier into the Harbour in 1970.
