Dart Harbour

What Dart Harbour does

Dart Harbour & Navigation Authority is a statutory Trust Port established under the Dart Harbour & Navigation Act 1975, responsible for managing the navigable River Dart between Dartmouth and Totnes in Devon, England. As a non-profit statutory body, it reinvests any operating surplus into harbour operations rather than distributing profits, and is governed by a volunteer board. Its core offering is the provision, maintenance, and regulation of more than 3,600 moorings, pontoons, drying grids, and supporting marine infrastructure for leisure, commercial, and event-based vessel users.

The organisation serves three primary customer segments: leisure boaters (annual berth holders, visitors, liveaboards), commercial vessel operators (superyachts from 20m to 150m+, cruise ships up to ~250m, and commercial small passenger and hire boat operators), and event organisers (JOG Week, Dartmouth Sailing Week, and smaller rallies). Supporting services include pilotage, a fuel barge (MV Dart Crusader), yacht taxi, waste and recycling, water and electricity hookups, hydrographic surveys, and Local Notices to Mariners. Distribution is via direct port facilities, a physical harbour office, VHF radio (Channel 11 DartNav), and the HarbourAssist online customer portal.

Revenue is generated through a diversified set of streams: annual and visitor mooring and berthing fees, statutory harbour dues, transactional service charges (pilotage, towing, drying grids, yacht taxi), cruise ship and commercial vessel mooring income (projected at ~£300k/year, or ~15% of budget, by 2030), and self-financing advertising in the annual Harbour Guide. The 25-year Port Masterplan sets the strategic direction, including the reinstatement of the MS-0 cruise mooring, the Double Steps Pontoon enhancement, and broader environmental stewardship of the Dart estuary.

Name

Dart Harbour

Legal name

Dart Harbour & Navigation Authority

Website

https://dartharbour.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dart Harbour & Navigation Authority is a statutory Trust Port managing 3,600+ moorings on the River Dart between Dartmouth and Totnes, serving leisure boaters, commercial vessels, superyachts, and cruise ships with mooring, pilotage, and marine services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Port and Harbour Operations

NAICS

Port and Harbor Operations (48831), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883), Navigational Services to Shipping (488330)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Ferry Terminal, Port & Passenger Handling Services (THAEAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ferry Terminals & Water Transit Piers (THAIALAH), River Cruise Port, Docking & Terminal Services (THAEACAJ), River & Inland Waterway Pilots (TLAHAGAB), Harbor & River Shuttle Services (THAIAJAE)

Keywords

• Trust port services
• Harbour authority operations
• Mooring and berthing
• Marine pilotage
• Superyacht berthing

Headquarters

HQ city

Dartmouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Mooring and Berthing Fees: Annual mooring licences, visitor berthing charges, pontoon fees, and swinging/trot mooring fees from leisure and commercial vessel operators.
2. Harbour Dues: Statutory harbour dues charged to vessels entering the harbour, covering the exercise and performance of statutory powers and duties and improving, maintaining or managing the harbour under the Harbours Act 1964.
3. Service Charges: Fees for services including pilotage, towing, drying grids, yacht taxi, waste disposal, and other marine-related services.
4. Cruise Ship Revenue: Income from cruise ship moorings and passenger-related charges, projected to reach £300,000 per year by 2030 (approximately 15% of annual budget) from around 20 cruise ship calls annually.
5. Harbour Guide Advertising: The annual Harbour Guide publication is self-financing from revenue generated by advertisers of supplies and services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Dart Harbour & Navigation Authority is a Trust Port and statutory harbour authority that manages the navigable River Dart between Dartmouth and Totnes, providing leisure and commercial mooring/berthing (including superyachts up to 150m+), pilotage, a yacht taxi, fuel bunkering, drying grids, port safety management, and small passenger and hire boat licensing. It operates year-round for visiting vessels, annual berth holders, commercial ships, and event organisers, reinvesting surplus into harbour operations.

Product overview

Dart Harbour is a Trust Port managing the navigable River Dart between Dartmouth and Totnes, offering a comprehensive suite of maritime services. The core offering centres on mooring and berthing services for leisure vessels (annual berths and visitor moorings) and commercial vessels (including cruise ships and superyachts up to 150m), complemented by operational services such as pilotage, a fuel barge, drying grids, waste management, and a yacht taxi. The HarbourAssist customer portal provides digital account management, while the annual Harbour Guide serves as an informational publication for users. The Port Masterplan guides 25-year strategic development focusing on sustainable growth across leisure, commercial, and environmental objectives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Berth Holder Services Year-round mooring and berthing licences for leisure boat owners on the River Dart, including use of pontoons, swinging moorings, trot moorings, and ancillary harbour facilities. Customers typically join a waiting list and pay a small non-refundable deposit to progress.
• Visitor Moorings Short-stay berthing for visiting vessels on the River Dart, including a new larger-than-standard superyacht pontoon and short-stay access at Double Steps Pontoon (up to 2 hours free). Priced by vessel length per night.
• Commercial Ship and Superyacht Berthing Berthing for commercial ships, cruise vessels, and superyachts up to 150m+ on the River Dart, marketed commercially with bespoke pilotage and ship mooring licences.
• Pilotage Services Statutory pilotage for commercial vessels and large yachts transiting the River Dart, delivered by the harbour's pilots as part of its regulator and navigation duties.
• Yacht Taxi Service On-demand ferry service for crews and passengers between Dartmouth and Dittisham, providing cheap river transport without the need to move yachts themselves.
• Fuel Barge and Pump-Out Services Marine fuel bunkering and sewage pump-out delivered via the harbour's fuel barge MV Dart Crusader to moored vessels on the River Dart.
• Drying Grid Services Use of the harbour's drying grids for low-tide vessel maintenance and inspection, available to boat owners as a bookable service.
• Small Passenger and Hire Boat Licensing Issuance of statutory Small Passenger and Hire Boat Licences to commercial operators running passengers-for-hire or hire boat services on the River Dart, with tiered fees from £1 to £258.
• Events and Rally Bookings Licensed booking of rallies, regattas, and harbour-based events using harbour waters, moorings, and landing beaches.
• Harbour Guide Publication Annual publication distributed to harbour users and subscribers, providing information on services, tariffs, and local information and carrying advertising sold by the authority.
• Harbour Showers and Amenities Shower and amenity facilities for harbour users, charged at 50p per minute on a pay-as-you-go basis.
• Kingswear Workshop Space Workshop space at Kingswear leased to commercial tenants providing marine industrial services.

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Chichester Harbour Conservancy: Statutory harbour authority covering Chichester Harbour — comparable UK harbour authority managing leisure moorings, navigation safety, and environmental stewardship.
• Teignmouth Harbour Commission: Devon-based harbour commission operating Teignmouth Harbour — comparable regional UK harbour authority with mixed leisure and commercial traffic on a tidal river.
• Hamble Harbour Authority: Statutory harbour authority on the River Hamble — comparable UK leisure/sailing-focused harbour authority with moorings, navigation, and small commercial vessel licensing.
• Fowey Harbour Commission: Cornish harbour commission comparable to Dart Harbour — similar Trust Port/harbour commission structure, leisure mooring base, and small commercial traffic.
• Salcombe Harbour Authority: Devon-based harbour authority operating Salcombe Harbour — very close geographic and operational peer with similar leisure mooring focus on the South Devon coast.
• Poole Harbour Commissioners: Trust Port authority managing one of the UK's largest natural harbours — directly comparable Trust Port model with extensive leisure mooring, commercial traffic, and pilotage services.
• Newhaven Port & Properties: UK port authority operating Newhaven Port — comparable statutory-style harbour with leisure, commercial, and pilotage services along the South Coast.
• Falmouth Harbour Commissioners: Statutory Cornish Trust Port operating Falmouth Harbour — comparable in legal structure, UK deep-water leisure/commercial mix, pilotage, and superyacht capability.

Broad incumbents

• Associated British Ports (ABP): The UK's largest port operator, managing 21 ports — broad incumbent operating at significantly larger scale across commercial, freight, and some leisure, providing a useful benchmark for professionalised UK port operations.

Regional players

• Brixham Harbour: Torbay Council-operated harbour in South Devon — regional peer located in the same county as Dart Harbour, with comparable fishing/leisure/commercial vessel mix and similar estuary-port operational profile.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DartHarbour
• Facebookfacebook.com/DartHarbour
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dart-harbour

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dart Harbour