Guide to Port Entry & The Ships Atlas

Through recent digitisation, Lloyd’s Register Foundation Heritage & Education Centre (HEC) have made available the Lloyd's Register (LR) OneOcean's Guide to Port Entry and The Ships Atlas', dating from 1971-1998 and 1984 - 1999 respectively for free, online viewing. 

What is the Guide to Port Entry? 

First published in 1971, these Guides provide invaluable information on thousands of commercial ports and terminals across the globe. They are compiled and published annually by LR OneOcean, whose years of global maritime experience allows them to provide expert and innovative solutions that enhance efficiency, sustainability, and overall industry success.  

The Guides cover a significant geographical breadth, and the most edition includes information on over 12,500 ports, harbours and terminals worldwide. These are fully indexed and contain detailed port plans and mooring diagrams.   

What is The Ships Atlas and what do they contain?

The Ships Atlas was first produced in 1984 and has since become a valuable tool for the shipping industry. The books provide the exact location of ports, as well as a system of map symbols which indicate basic information like cargoes handled, dry dock availability and size. 

The comprehensive port index lists data such as the maximum size of vessel handled, access to fuel and medical facilities and the nearest airport.  

The books also contain a selection of regional and global maps, including: 

• World Political 
• Time Zones 
• MARPOL 73/78 
• Sensitivity Sea Areas 
• Maritime Piracy Incidents  
• Global Distributions of Major Diseases   

How can these collections be useful to your research?

These collections are a valuable resource for researchers as it provides snapshots of global parts at their respective times of publication. These collections capture the unique regulations, restrictions and procedures specific to each port during different years. This enables researchers to track changes at ports, including port layouts, developments and traffic flows over time.

It is worth noting that these collections on the HEC website are ‘historic’ Guides, with the most recent Guide being published in 1999-2000. More recent editions will be added each year. 

Explore this newly digitised resource below for free, or via Google Books or Archive.org. 

Edition titles that are listed below, have in some cases been abbreviated to the following:

• PPM - Port Plans & Moorings
• PI - Port Information