Saint Helier Harbour is the main harbour on the Channel Island of Jersey. It is on the south coast of the island, occupying most of the coast of the main town of St Helier. It is operated by Ports of Jersey, a company wholly owned by the Government of Jersey.
Facilities include three marinas for berthing private yachts on pontoons, drying harbours and facilities for commercial shipping including roll-on/roll-off ferry berths, a tanker berth and a dock for lift-on/lift-off cargo ships.
Etymology
Saint Helier Harbour is named after Helier (or Helerius), a 6th-century ascetic hermit from Belgium. The traditional date of his martyrdom is AD 555. His feast day, marked by an annual municipal and ecumenical pilgrimage to the Hermitage, is on 16 July.
The medieval hagiographies of Helier, the patron saint martyred in Jersey and after whom the parish and town are named, suggest a picture of a small fishing village on the dunes between the marshy land behind and the high-water mark.
An Abbey of Saint Helier was founded in 1155 on L'Islet, a tidal island adjacent to the Hermitage. Closed at the Reformation, the site of the abbey was fortified to create the castle that replaced Mont Orgueil as the island's major fortress. The new Elizabeth Castle was named after the Queen by the Governor of Jersey 1600–1603, Sir Walter Raleigh.
History
The harbour was constructed in the early 19th century. Previously, ships coming into the town had only a small jetty at the site now called the English Harbour and the French Harbour. The Chamber of Commerce urged the States Assembly to build a new harbour, but they refused, so the Chamber took it into their own hands and paid to upgrade the harbour in 1790. A new breakwater was constructed to shelter the jetty and harbours. In 1814, the merchants constructed the roads now known as Commercial Buildings and Le Quai des Marchands to connect the harbours to the town and in 1832 construction was finished on the Esplanade and its sea wall. A rapid expansion in shipping led the States of Jersey in 1837 to order the construction of two new piers: the Victoria and Albert Piers.
Main harbour
The main harbour provides deep water berths for commercial vessels alongside the Victoria Quay and New North Quay.
Elizabeth Harbour
The Elizabeth Harbour consists of a ferry terminal, two roll-on/roll-off ferry berths and a trailer park for shipping containers. These are used by high-speed craft to Poole, Guernsey and Saint-Malo, traditional ferries to Saint-Malo and Portsmouth, and foot passenger ferries to Guernsey, Granville, Barneville-Carteret and Sark.
Routes +DestinationFerry OperatorAverage Duration of CrossingFrequencyVesselVessel typeSt Peter Port, GuernseyBrittany Ferries1hrOne crossing per weekVoyagerHigh-speed passenger and vehicleIslands Unlimited1hr 10minsUp to two crossings per day (seasonal)San PawlHigh-speed passenger onlyManche-Îles Express1hr 20minsAppx. four crossings per month (seasonal)GranvilleHigh-speed passenger onlySark, GuernseyManche-Îles Express1hr 10minsUp to three crossings per week (seasonal)GranvilleHigh-speed passenger onlyPoole, UKDFDS Seaways4hrs 30minsUp to five times per week (seasonal)Levante JetHigh-speed passenger and vehiclePortsmouth, UKDFDS Seaways8hrs to 12hrs (dependant on tidal rotation)Six crossings per week (passenger and freight)Stena VingaConventional passenger, vehicle and freightSix crossings per week (freight only)Caesarea TraderConventional freight onlySt Malo, FranceDFDS Seaways1hr 55minsUp to two crossings per dayTarifa JetHigh-speed passenger and vehicle4hrs to 6hrs (dependant on tidal rotation)One crossing per weekCaesarea TraderConventional freight onlyGranville, FranceManche-Îles Express1hr 25minsUp to five crossings per week (seasonal)GranvilleHigh-speed passenger onlyBarneville-Carteret, FranceManche-Îles Express1hr 5minsUp to three crossings per week (seasonal)GranvilleHigh-speed passenger only
Marinas
There are three marinas the La Collette Yacht Basin, the Saint Helier Marina (built in 1980) and the Elizabeth Marina. The La Collette Yacht Basin is the only one of these to provide non-tidal, 24-hour access to the sea and is home to Jersey's commercial fishing fleet.
Since 2008, Saint Helier Marina has been the venue for the annual Jersey Boat Show.Barclays Jersey Boat Show on this weekend
Old harbours
The Old Harbour, English Harbour and French Harbour have berths for over 500 motorboats and sailing yachts which dry out on the mud at low tide.
See also Condor Ferries DFDS Seaways Jersey Airport Jersey Coastguard Jersey Maritime Museum Maritime history of the Channel Islands Transport in Jersey
References
External links