Closed for almost two decades, the art deco picture house has been brought back to life by a community trust and will show films five nights a week.
More than 300 objects, from hand-braided rope ladders to a herring net still smelling faintly of tar, fill the museum's grand hall in a show built around the skills that kept the harbour working.
The contract, worth around €27m, will keep the yard's slipways busy until 2029 and replace the diesel boats that cross between Old Quay and the Saltings.
A small grey bird working the mossy rocks dived into the current in search of prey.
Giant gantry cranes, feeder ships coming alongside and terminals that work through the night.
