The Waterways

 

The main ones in the North East of England are the Humber, Trent, the Aire and Calder Navigation, the Ouse and the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation.

Humber.

This major estuarial river links the rivers Trent and Ouse and their tributaries to the North Sea. The Humber is a rapidly developing seaway, with deep water docks at Immingham, Grimsby and Hull. There are numerous wharves, inlets and havens where smaller vessels discharge.Up to the 1970`s much barge traffic originated here.

Current Barge cargoes includes aggregates, various oil products, transhipment of products across the Humber, and diverse cargoes in LASH (Lighter Aboard SHip) craft moving inland from Immingham. Maximum Cargo size is limited only by availability of vessels.

 

Trent

This river links the Humber and it`s many ports and wharves with Gainsborough,Newark and Nottingham. The Trent itself is a busy seaway in it`s lower reaches, with jetties and wharves servicing coasters and Rhine Barges from mostly European ports.

Above Keadby there is still barge traffic carrying concrete aggregates to Hull and Leeds from quarries up-river. Cargoes of up to 1000 tonnes to Gainsborough, and 700 tonnes to Newark. Nottingham cargoes up to 300 tonnes.

The Aire and Calder Navigation.

Starts at Goole, a river port on the Yorkshire Ouse, which itself links to the Humber and Trent five miles below Goole. It progresses westward to Leeds and Wakefield via Knottingly, Ferrybridge and Castleford. There are numerous chemical factories, mills and warehouses along the way. Freights commonly seen are coal, oil and sand. Cargoes of 700 tonnes can go to Leeds,

The Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation.

Joins the Aire and Calder Navigation west of Goole, and travels to Rotherham via Sandall, Doncaster, Mexborough and Swinton.There is much industry along the way, and there is some barge movement between Goole and Rotherham, with a maximum capacity of 700 tonnes.

The Ouse.

The Yorkshire Ouse is a busy conduit between the Humber and the port of Goole. Coaster traffic above Goole goes to Howden Dyke and Selby, and barges occasionally travel to York for purposes other than cargo carrying. Maximum capacity to Selby is 1000 tonnes, and 400 tonnes to York.