Simplify the following text for a Grade 8 native English-speaking person.
Original: The Port of Manchester in north west England was created as a customs port on 1 January 1894 , four months before the opening of the Manchester Ship Canal transformed Manchester from a landlocked city into a major sea port .
Simplified: It was created as a customs port on 1 January 1894 . THis was four months before the opening of the Manchester Ship Canal transformed Manchester from a landlocked city into a major sea port .