The Swansea Maritime and Industrial Museum (SMIM) has started decanting and recataloguing its exhibits in preparation for the transfer to the new National Waterfront Museum Swansea.

SMIM has attracted around three million visitors since opening 25 years ago, but will be incorporated into the National Waterfront Museum Swansea which is due to open in 2005. The museum will also include industrial and maritime collections belonging to the National Museums and Galleries of Wales.

The new £28m museum is being developed by the National Museums & Galleries of Wales which secured a £10.7m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), the largest single HLF donation ever made in Wales. The two-storey building has been designed by architects Wilkinson Eyre, who were behind Magna, the science centre in Rotherham. Land Design Studio is designing the exhibition and the aim is to encourage return visits with rotating displays that change hourly or daily.

The museum aims to attract 250,000 visitors a year and will be located on Swansea's waterfront adjacent to the £200m Port Tawe development. Building work starts next spring.

Professor Tom Pritchard, HLF trustee for Wales said the creation of a national waterfront museum in Swansea was very apt. 'Wales is often credited as the first industrial nation in the world and Swansea had a key part to play in that.' The museum is due to open in 2005. Details: +44 (0)29 2049 4942