Situated at the mouth of the River Wear, the harbour is safe and easy to navigate, the entrance being protected by Roker and New South Piers.
Within these protecting piers, the Old North and South Piers are situated on either side of the river entrance, beyond which is the inner harbour.
The current operational port area encompasses the South Docks and river berths on the south side of the River Wear, seaward of the western end of Corporation Quay.
Local Port Services (LPS), situated in the Port Control building on Greenwells Quay, operates a 24-hour Port Information Service on channels VHF 11, 14 and 16 using the call sign ‘Sunderland Harbour Radio’.
The port operates in accordance with standard codes and regulations.