Trafalgar Wharf is a

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

accommodating

marine engineering Marine engineering is the engineering of boats, ships, submarines, and any other marine vessel. Here it is also taken to include the engineering of other ocean systems and structures – referred to in certain academic and professional circ ...

businesses ranging from sailmakers and boat brokers to boat builders. It was formerly the VT Halmatic shipyard, owned by

VT Group VTG (formerly VT Group) is a privately held United States defense and services company, with its origins in a former British shipbuilding group, previously known as Vosper Thornycroft. The British part of VTG was integrated into Babcock Interna ...

and latterly by BVT Surface Fleet. In November 2023 the site was acquired by Premier Marinas who also operate Port Solent marina opposite.

History

In September 2008, Trafalgar Wharf Ltd took over the former BVT Surface Fleet site and renamed it Trafalgar Wharf. The site is the former VT Halmatic shipyard where many smaller

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

warships, such as Fast Patrol Boats and Corvettes were built. BVT Surface Fleet had been formed by the merger of the BAE Systems Surface Fleet Solutions subsidiary with VT Shipbuilding, itself originating as Vosper Thorneycroft. With the sale of the Portchester site, they vacated the yard, bringing an end to the company's use of the area, consolidating operations at its Shipyard facilities in

HMNB Portsmouth His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is loc ...

. The site has evolved over the years to now encompass Europe’s largest indoor dry stack boat storage facility for over 300 small boats and a significant commercial shipyard providing bespoke refit and maintenance programmes for commercial vessels and private yachts. On the 23rd November 2023, the site was purchased by Premier Marinas adding to the companies existing portfolio of 10 marina and boatyard sites across the South Coast. The wider Trafalgar Wharf site has also become a hub for a wide range of marine and non-marine businesses and will now be known as Premier Trafalgar Wharf.

Site

The Trafalgar Wharf site is located in the upper reaches of

Portsmouth Harbour Portsmouth Harbour is a / biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Portsmouth and Gosport in Hampshire. It is a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area. It is a large natural harbour in Hampshire, England. Geographically it ...

, opposite

Port Solent Port Solent is the commercial business name of a housing and leisure development located in the Paulsgrove suburb of the English city of Portsmouth, Hampshire, comprising a marina, a housing estate, shopping and leisure facilities. The Port ...

. The company intends to remain true to its industrial roots, combining light marine trade with heavier industries. The site offers a wide range of space for marine businesses in buildings ranging from the massive main shed, probably the largest building of its kind on the south coast, to smaller individual business units including office space, housing many companies, overlooking Port Solent Marina. Premier Trafalgar Wharf an indoor dry stack boat storage is available in Portsmouth Harbour for motorboats, sportfishers and RIBs between 4 metres and 13 metres. Owned and operated by Premier Marinas' the companies friendly, highly trained dry stack team is capable of lifting two boats every 10 minutes using one of the three 42 tonne forklifts, all of which include telescopic cameras to provide advanced visibility, allowing the team to lift boats up 65 foot and down 25 foot. Easier than launch and recovery from a trailer. Trafalgar Wharf can accommodate up to 380 boats, making it the UK's largest indoor dry stack facility.

References

External links

Trafalgar Wharf Website

Trafalgar Wharf on Facebook
{{coord, 50.84604, N, 1.11627, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Ports and harbours of Hampshire Wharves in the United Kingdom