The River Suir, which flows through Waterford City, has provided a basis for the city's long maritime history. The place downriver from Waterford where the River Nore and the River Barrow join the River Suir is known in the Irish language as "Cumar na dTrí Uisce" ("The confluence of the three waters"). Waterford Port has been one of Ireland's major ports for over 1000 years. In the 19th century, shipbuilding was a major industry. The owners of the Neptune Shipyard, the Malcomson family, built and operated the largest fleet of iron steamers in the world between the mid-1850s and the late 1860s, including five trans-Atlantic passenger liners.