Swansea Docks in the 1960s

South Wales is historically associated with coal - its mining and exporting. However, at the western end of the coalfield a metal refining industry developed and prospered. Thus, in the early twentieth century ports like Swansea developed considerable volumes of general cargo, tinplate products making up a substantial proportion. By the 1960s, the last years of traditional cargo shipping, it was possible to see a regular flow of cargo liners in addition to any remaining coal shipments. The establishment of the nearby Llandarcy oil refinery also brought regular movement of crude oil into the docks. It is these movements that are captured and recorded.