 The method of loading coal for export in the Alexandra Dock system was by hoists, in which loaded railway wagons are lifted from ground level, in order to tip the contents into the ships' holds.General cargoes were loaded and unloaded by hydraulic cranes, which had capacities from 3 to 30 tons.Up until 1922 the docks had been owned by the Alexandra (Newport and South Wales) Dock and Railway Company.