The foreground body of water is Canning Half Tide Dock which opened for business in 1737.  Just to the left, out of frame, is a lock linking it to the River Mersey seen on the left.  Just behind the Half Tide Dock are two graving docks, one with the Liverpool pilot boat in it.  Behind the graving docks is an area called Pier Head, which has the so called "three graces": The Port of Liverpool Building, the Cunard Building, and the Royal Liver Building behind that.  Seen in the river at the floating landing stage is one of the Mersey ferries, which cross the river to the Wirral, a peninsula into the Irish Sea.  The landing stages were built for ships such as liners that are too big to get into the docks.  There are docks such as these for miles in either direction along the Mersey.  Liverpool at one time was the busiest port in the world.  The river gives name to the county Liverpool is in- Merseyside.

This picture was taken from a former warehouse, now used as a maritime museum, at Albert Dock .