Port of Latakia
Encyclopedia
The Port of Latakia is the main seaport in Syria. Located on the Mediterranean Sea
in the city of Latakia
. The port is the main route in Syria for containers, though it also handles a good deal of metals, machinery, chemicals and food stuffs. In 2004, 5.1m tonnes were unloaded and 1m tonnes were loaded from Latakia port. New quay investments are under way in the port. The port is managed by a semi-autonomous state company.
n settlement, that was the main harbor of nearby Ugarit
. The port of Laodicea gained importance under the Seleucids and it became the main harbor for Syria
, and only second to Seleucia. Rome regarded Laodicea as a key strategic seaport in the prized province of Syria.
Under the Crusaders
Latakia which became known as "La Liche", covered an area of 220 hectare. Its port, originally an open bay with marble quay stones laid by the Romans, remained an important commercial center.
In later centuries, Latakia started losing its prominence and was already declining as other ports such as Tripoli
and Alexandria
developed. The port was in a serious state of decline by 1450.
Under the Ottomans and despite losing its prominence as an important town, the port itself continued to remain extremely active and economically valuable. The port was receiving more than 100 ships annually in 1835 but the harbor itself was silted up and could only contain between four or six small boats. By the end of the nineteenth century it received around 120 steamships and around 570 sail boats annually, most of which could only anchor outside of the harbor itself.
, mandate authorities quickly set about restoring the port facilities by rebuilding the north and south moles and deepening the harbor from two to six meters. With the loss of the ports of Alexandretta and Antioch
to Turkey
in 1939, Latakia became the main port in Syria, and there remained no alternative but to develop its port facilities.
An extensive port project was proposed in 1948, and construction work began in 1950, with a $6 million loan from Saudi Arabia
. By 1951 the first stage of the construction was completed and the port handled an increasing amount of Syria's overseas trade. The port became even more important after 1975, due to the troubled situation in Lebanon and the loss of Beirut and Tripoli as ports. In 1971, the port handled 1,630,000 tons of cargo. During the 1970s the port was expanded, and in 1981 it handled 3,593,000 tons of imported goods and 759,000 of exports.
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
in the city of Latakia
Latakia
Latakia, or Latakiyah , is the principal port city of Syria, as well as the capital of the Latakia Governorate. In addition to serving as a port, the city is a manufacturing center for surrounding agricultural towns and villages...
. The port is the main route in Syria for containers, though it also handles a good deal of metals, machinery, chemicals and food stuffs. In 2004, 5.1m tonnes were unloaded and 1m tonnes were loaded from Latakia port. New quay investments are under way in the port. The port is managed by a semi-autonomous state company.
Ancient
The port was first founded as a harbor of Ramitha, a PhoeniciaPhoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
n settlement, that was the main harbor of nearby Ugarit
Ugarit
Ugarit was an ancient port city in the eastern Mediterranean at the Ras Shamra headland near Latakia, Syria. It is located near Minet el-Beida in northern Syria. It is some seven miles north of Laodicea ad Mare and approximately fifty miles east of Cyprus...
. The port of Laodicea gained importance under the Seleucids and it became the main harbor for Syria
Apamea (Syria)
Apamea was a treasure city and stud-depot of the Seleucid kings, was capital of Apamene, on the right bank of the Orontes River. . Its site is found about to the northwest of Hama, Syria, overlooking the Ghab valley...
, and only second to Seleucia. Rome regarded Laodicea as a key strategic seaport in the prized province of Syria.
Under the Crusaders
Crusaders
The Crusaders are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Christchurch that competes in the Super Rugby competition. They are the most successful team in Super Rugby history with seven titles...
Latakia which became known as "La Liche", covered an area of 220 hectare. Its port, originally an open bay with marble quay stones laid by the Romans, remained an important commercial center.
In later centuries, Latakia started losing its prominence and was already declining as other ports such as Tripoli
Tripoli, Lebanon
Tripoli is the largest city in northern Lebanon and the second-largest city in Lebanon. Situated 85 km north of the capital Beirut, Tripoli is the capital of the North Governorate and the Tripoli District. Geographically located on the east of the Mediterranean, the city's history dates back...
and Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
developed. The port was in a serious state of decline by 1450.
Under the Ottomans and despite losing its prominence as an important town, the port itself continued to remain extremely active and economically valuable. The port was receiving more than 100 ships annually in 1835 but the harbor itself was silted up and could only contain between four or six small boats. By the end of the nineteenth century it received around 120 steamships and around 570 sail boats annually, most of which could only anchor outside of the harbor itself.
Modern
Under the French mandateFrench Mandate of Syria
Officially the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon was a League of Nations mandate founded after the First World War and the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire...
, mandate authorities quickly set about restoring the port facilities by rebuilding the north and south moles and deepening the harbor from two to six meters. With the loss of the ports of Alexandretta and Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
in 1939, Latakia became the main port in Syria, and there remained no alternative but to develop its port facilities.
An extensive port project was proposed in 1948, and construction work began in 1950, with a $6 million loan from Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. By 1951 the first stage of the construction was completed and the port handled an increasing amount of Syria's overseas trade. The port became even more important after 1975, due to the troubled situation in Lebanon and the loss of Beirut and Tripoli as ports. In 1971, the port handled 1,630,000 tons of cargo. During the 1970s the port was expanded, and in 1981 it handled 3,593,000 tons of imported goods and 759,000 of exports.