The Western Mail reported in 1914 - Penarth Pontoon - A Million Tons Dry-Docked - "The Penarth Pontoon Slipway, and Ship-Repairing Company Limited who acquired a new pontoon for the Penarth Dock, which was inaugurated by the Right Hon. Earl of Plymouth in April 1910, have in four years dry-docked vessels with a gross tonnage of one million tons on the pontoon.

This photograph of the steamship "Haigh Hall" given above, owned by Messrs. Ed. Nicholl and Co., shows the vessel on the pontoon, the gross tonnage of which completed the million tons.

The pontoon was constructed according to the specification prepared by Mr. J. J. Bryson, M.I.N.A., the general manager of the Penarth Pontoon Company, to deal with the various types of vessels loading in the Penarth Dock. It was built by Messrs. Swan Hunter, and Wigham Richardson (Limited), of the Wallsend-on-Tyne, and is capable vessels up to 420 ft. in length by 65 ft. beam and about 10,000 tons carrying capacity.

The Penarth Pontoon Company offer the following special inducements to all ship-owners:- Any vessel which dry-docks with them is free to load elsewhere without incurring the taffic rates adopted by all the Bristol Channel Dry Docks Companies. For this reason they dry-dock a number of vessels on the pontoon inside the Penarth Dock, although the vessels are fixed to load at Newport, Barry, Cardiff, or Swansea.

The Penarth Pontoon is acknowledged to be one of the quickest working dry docks in Great Britain, and being open on the one side, exposes the vessel to the sun and permits the air to circulate round the vessel. For this reason the pontoon is exceptionally adapted for dry-docking, as the vessels are dried almost immediately they are out of the water, thereby enabling the painting to be commenced without any delay.

The Penarth Pontoon Company, together with the Taff Vale Railway Company, who are the owners of the Penarth Dock, make a special point of encouraging steamers to come to the Penarth Dock, and when working together they can give a quick despatch for dry-docking and loading vessels.

One of Messrs. Elder, Dempster, and Co's. vessels entered Penarth Dock on a Friday morning at nine o'clock. She went straight to the pontoon for dry-docking and painting, and afterwards to the coal tips, where she was loaded with 6,400 tons of coal. She left the Penarth Dock again fully loaded on the next evening (Saturday), the whole operation, including dry-docking and loading, not occupying forty hours.

The Penarth Pontoon Company's new works were opened on December 1912, by Mrs. Beasley, of Penarth, and are equipped with the latest plant and machinery for carrying out all classes of repairs with despatch and economy.

The Penarth Pontoon Company's slipway, which is well known in the shipping world, has now been built thirty-five years, and has dry-docked all types of vessels in its time. Last year the whole of the slipway was thoroughly overhauled and strengthened with a view of dealing with larger vessels, and since the slipway was re-opened last year it has been fully occupied. The slipway is situated in the Cardiff outside harbour on the side of the River Ely, and is favourably situated for dry-docking vessels before they enter the Cardiff or Penarth Docks.

Vessels dry-docked on the slipway are free of Penarth wet dock and harbour dues, and afterwards free to load at any other port." Western Mail [164] 29 April 1914.