Editing Dock (section)

==British English==
[[Image:GlosDryDock2.JPG|thumb|150px|A small [[dry dock]] in [[Gloucester]], [[England]]]]
In [[British English]], a dock is an enclosed area of water used for loading, unloading, building or repairing [[ship]]s. Such a dock may be created by building enclosing harbour walls into an existing natural water space, or by excavation within what would otherwise be dry land.

There are specific types of dock structures where the water level is controlled:
* {{anchor|wet dock}} A wet dock or [[impounded dock]] is a variant in which the water is impounded either by dock gates or by a [[canal lock|lock]], thus allowing ships to remain afloat at low tide in places with high [[tide|tidal ranges]]. The level of water in the dock is maintained despite the rising and falling of the tide. This makes transfer of cargo easier. It works like a lock which controls the water level and allows passage of ships. The world's first enclosed wet dock with lock gates to maintain a constant water level irrespective of tidal conditions was the [[Greenland Dock|Howland Great Dock]] on the [[River Thames]], built in 1703.  The dock was merely a haven surrounded by trees, with no unloading facilities. The world's first commercial enclosed wet dock, with quays and unloading warehouses, was the [[Old Dock]] at [[Liverpool]], built in 1715 and held up to 100 ships.  The dock reduced ship waiting giving quick turnarounds, greatly improving the throughput of cargo.
* A [[drydock]] is another variant, also with dock gates, which can be emptied of water to allow investigation and maintenance of the underwater parts of ships.
* A [[Dry dock#Floating|floating dry dock]] (sometimes just ''floating dock'') is a submersible structure which lifts ships out of the water to allow dry docking where no land-based facilities are available.

Where the water level is not controlled [[Berth (moorings)|berths]] may be:
* Floating, where there is always sufficient water to float the ship.
* {{anchor|NAABSA}} '''NAABSA''' (Not Always Afloat But Safely Aground) where ships settle on the bottom at [[low tide]].  Ships using NAABSA facilities have to be designed for them.<ref name=NYPE>{{citation |author1=Baltic and International Maritime Council |author-link1=BIMCO |author2=ASBA |author3=SML |title=NYPE 2015 Time Charter Party, explanatory notes |at=Clause 1(d) |url=http://www.smf.com.sg/pdf/NYPE%202015%20Explanatory%20Notes.pdf |access-date=31 March 2017 |archive-date=31 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331210356/http://www.smf.com.sg/pdf/NYPE%202015%20Explanatory%20Notes.pdf |url-status=dead }}.  NYPE is the [[New York Produce Exchange]] form, a standard charter agreement for shipping.</ref>

A [[dockyard]] (or shipyard) consists of one or more docks, usually with other structures.