historyAs an ancient walled town with a rich and colourful history, Berwick has had a working port for over a thousand years. The Port activities were historically carried out on the north side of the River Tweed. Cargoes handled included salmon, eggs and grains.

As ship sizes slowly increased it became apparent that the north side of the River Tweed was no longer suitable to handle cargo and an alternative site for the Port was identified on the south side of the River in the mid 19th century.

Construction of the Tweed Dock commenced in 1873 and the dock was officially opened in October 1876. The Tweed Dock today remains unchanged since its’ opening with the exception of the removal of the dock gates in 1993 to facilitate the widening of the dock entrance. The result of this improvement work enabled vessels with a maximum beam of 16.0 metres to enter the dock, an increase from the previous beam restriction of 10.5 metres.

Berwick is a rural town and the Port lies equidistant between the Rivers Forth and Tyne. Due to geographical location, the Port primarily handles cargoes linked to the agricultural industry with fertilisers, malting barley, feed barley and oilseed rape the principal commodities. Other regular types of cargo include cement, timber and some generals.