Pilotage of vessels in the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary was overseen by Bristol until 1861, when Cardiff, Newport and Gloucester took concerted action because of the increase in the trades using the ports of Cardiff, Newport and Gloucester and petitioned Parliament to press for the passing of the Bristol Channel Pilotage Act 1861. This gave the ports the independence they sought. Pilotage Commissioners were constituted for these ports with powers to licence pilots for the non-compulsory pilotage of ships in the Bristol Channel and River Severnbound for these ports, each port having a defined area of jurisdiction. After a new dock was built in Sharpness in 1874 that was capable of handling larger vessels, the number of ships visiting the Gloucester docks declined and the custom house was moved to Sharpness. The Sharpness Lighthouse Authority were set up in 1888 to provide aids to navigation throughout the harbour area so that ships could enter the port both by day and night. The following year this became the Gloucester Harbour Authority which, as well as being responsible for lights in the estuary, were tasked with controlling navigation there. Gloucester Harbour Authority later evolved into the Gloucester Harbour Trustees, which later relocated to Sharpness; it is responsible for all pilotage in the estuary. The trustees also established moorings at Northwick Oaze south of Aust and created a deeper channel so that larger vessels could reach Sharpness more easily.
Responsibilities
The Trustees have responsibilities for navigational safety in that part of the estuary, and maintain a number of navigation aids, and a special 'Pilotwatch Radar' with portable sets for use by pilots. They also arrange the provision of pilots which are compulsory for most commercial shipping and other vessels over 30m l.o.a. in the GHT area. The main commercial traffic within the GHT area is to the port of Sharpness, and some sand dredging. The harbour, which has one of the world's highest tidal ranges, includes both the present road crossings and two riverside nuclear sites. The Trustees were originally constituted in 1890 and initially comprised some 22 Trustees. Today the board consists of 10 members, who are appointed in line with the principles of the ‘Guide to Good Governance’ drawn up as part of the DETR’s Review of Trust Ports and in accordance with the provisions of the Gloucester Harbour Revision Order 2002. The Gloucester Harbour Trustees, as competent harbour authority for this part of the river, have issued safety guidance for surfers, canoeists, small craft and river bank users in relation to the Severn bore, a phenomenon of the Severn Estuary and lower parts of the river under certain tidal conditions.
The Gloucester Harbour Trustees area
The Gloucester Harbour Trustees area, especially above Sharpness, includes many areas of interest to environmentalists. These include extensive mud flats and grassland areas on which migrating and resident birds feed and include a number of Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The estuary experiences one of the biggest tidal ranges in the world and a Severn Barrage is often under discussion to harness the energy generated by the tide.
