Ports & Harbours of the western Mediterranean

History

Port-Vendres has been in existence since Iron Age times, when it was used as a harbour connected with the Iberian settlement of Illiberis (modern Elne). It was later developed by the Romans, who called it Portus Veneris after the goddess Venus; there was probably a temple of Venus nearby for the good fortune of mariners. Ancient writers wrote that there was a sanctuary of Aphrodite and called it Aphrodisium (Ancient Greek: Ἀφροδίσιον). Strabo writes that it was dedicated to the Pyrenaean Aphrodite (Ancient Greek: Πυρηναίας Ἀφροδίτης).

During the Middle Ages, Port-Vendres was expanded by the rulers of the Kingdom of Majorca and served as a key point of connection between the mainland and the Balearic Islands.

Geography

Port-Vendres is located in the canton of La Côte Vermeille and in the arrondissement of Céret.

Port-Vendres is one of the few deep-water ports in this part of the French Mediterranean coast. It takes freighters and cruise ships, as well as large and small fishing boats which may be seen arriving with their daily catch.

The geomorphology of Port-Vendres meant that it developed in a different way from the nearby port of Collioure. Whereas Collioure has two beaches which slowly descend into a relatively shallow sandy-bottomed harbour, Port-Vendres is deeper and rockier. Collioure and Port-Vendres have therefore been used for different purposes - Collioure for small commercial ship and Port-Vendres for larger vessels and military transports.

History

The design of the port of Gioia Tauro can be traced back to the political and programmatic situation in Calabria in the early 1970s, in particular the Reggio revolt in Reggio Calabria. To pacify the revolt, Prime minister Emilio Colombo offered to build the Fifth Steelwork Centre in Reggio including a railroad stump and the port in Gioia Tauro, an investment of 3 billion lire which would create 10,000 jobs, which softened the people of Reggio Calabria. This so-called "Colombo package" was developed as a compensatory measure for Reggio Calabria's failure to be designated as the regional capital. The coastal area of the Piana di Gioia Tauro, traditionally cultivated with citrus fruit and olive groves, was identified as the appropriate site for the steel plant.

History

The history of the Port of Trapani reflects the development of the city itself, from its origins as the harbour of ancient Drepanon to its later roles as a medieval trading port, a centre of early modern maritime activity and, eventually, a modern commercial harbour shaped by 19th- and 20th-century engineering works.

In antiquity the settlement at the tip of the Trapani peninsula was known as Drepanon (Latin: Drepanum), a name derived from the Greek word for “sickle” in reference to the curved shape of the promontory. Classical sources and modern reference works describe Drepanon as the harbour and later trading centre of the Elymian city of Eryx (modern Erice), serving as the coastal outlet for the Erycinians from at least the 5th–4th century BC.

Facilities

The Port of Trapani lies in a naturally sheltered inlet between the Trapani peninsula and a series of breakwaters built along its southern and eastern sides. The harbour is roughly 2 kilometres long and between about 225 and 450 metres wide. The port is organised around a series of principal quays and terminals used for commercial, passenger, fishing and leisure-boating activity.

The principal commercial facilities are concentrated along the Ronciglio quay and its extension, Ronciglio Levante, where water depths of around 12 metres allow access for larger general-cargo and roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessels. The sector includes a cargo terminal of approximately 25,000 m² equipped with two 100-ton mobile cranes, four reach-stackers and associated handling equipment.

History and description

The foundation stone was laid on 21 October 1908. Building works ended in 1927. A bulk cargo dock was opened in 1994.

On 1 October 2005, the standalone Port Authority of Motril was created, upon a split from the Port Authority of Almería. Two years later, the expansion of the Azucenas dock was inaugurated, featuring ro-ro capabilities.

It is connected by ferry to Nador, Melilla, Al-Hoceima and Tanger-Med.

The port closed its 2019 year with a total cargo traffic of 2.8 million tonnes.