Port of Latakia: Difference between revisions

Port of Latakia
ميناء اللاذقية
Port of Latakia; ميناء اللاذقية
	Port of Latakia in 1979
	Click on the map for a fullscreen view
Location
Country	Syria
Location	Latakia; Latakia Governorate
Coordinates	35°30′48″N 35°46′14″E / 35.51333°N 35.77056°E
Details
Opened	Ancient harbor: 2000 BC; Modern harbor: 1951
Operated by	Public Company of the Port of Latakia
Owned by	State-owned
Type of harbour	Natural
Size of harbour	135 hectares (0.52 sq mi)
Land area	15 hectares (0.058 sq mi)
Size	150 hectares (0.58 sq mi)
No. of wharfs	32
General Manager	Suleiman Asaad Baloush
Cranes	18
Channel depth	14.5 metres (48 ft)
Warehouse space	62.8 hectares (0.242 sq mi)
Statistics
Vessel arrivals	1805
Annual cargo tonnage	8,093,000
	Website; http://www.lattakiaport.gov.sy/

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The Port of Latakia (Arabic: ميناء اللاذقية) 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.

History

Ancient

The port was first founded as a harbor of Ramitha, a Phoenician 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.^[1] Rome regarded Laodicea as a key strategic seaport in the prized province of Syria.^[2]

Under the Crusaders Latakia which became known as "La Liche", covered an area of 220 hectares (0.85 sq mi). Its port, originally an open bay with marble quay stones laid by the Romans, remained an important commercial center.^[3]

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.^[4]

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.^[4]

Modern

Under the French mandate, 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.^[4] 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.^[5]

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.^[5] 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.^[6]

References

^ Ball, 2000, p.157
^ Ring, 1994, p.451
^ Ring, 1994, p.453
^ ^a ^b ^c Ring, 1994, p.454
^ ^a ^b Ring, 1994, p.455
^ Maʻoz, 1986, p.58

Bibliography

Ring, Trudy; Salkin, Robert M.; La Boda, Sharon (1994), International Dictionary of Historic Places, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 1-884964-03-6, 9781884964039 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help).
Ball, Warwick (2000), Rome in the East: The Transformation of an Empire, Routledge, ISBN 0-415-11376-8, 9780415113762 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help).
Maʻoz, Moshe; Yaniv, Avner; Gustav Heinemann Institute of Middle Eastern Studies (1986), Syria Under Assad: Domestic Constraints and Regional Risks, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 0-7099-2910-2.

[Ball-1] Ball, 2000, p.157

[Ring-2] Ring, 1994, p.451

[Ring4-3] Ring, 1994, p.453

[Ring3-4] Ring, 1994, p.454

[Ring5-5] Ring, 1994, p.455

[6] Maʻoz, 1986, p.58

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

@@ Line 46: / Line 46: @@
 ==History==
 ===Ancient===
-The port was first founded as a harbor of [[Ramitha]], a [[Phoenicia]]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 [[Apamea (Syria)|Syria]], and only second to [[Seleucia Pieria|Seleucia]]. Rome regarded Laodicea as a key strategic seaport in the prized province of Syria.
+The port was first founded as a harbor of [[Ramitha]], a [[Phoenicia]]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 [[Apamea (Syria)|Syria]], and only second to [[Seleucia Pieria|Seleucia]].<ref name="Ball">Ball, 2000, p.157</ref> Rome regarded Laodicea as a key strategic seaport in the prized province of Syria.<ref name="Ring">Ring, 1994, p.451</ref>
-Under the [[Crusaders]] Latakia which became known as "La Liche", covered an area of {{convert|220|ha|mi2}}. Its port, originally an open bay with marble quay stones laid by the Romans, remained an important commercial center.
+Under the [[Crusaders]] Latakia which became known as "La Liche", covered an area of {{convert|220|ha|mi2}}. Its port, originally an open bay with marble quay stones laid by the Romans, remained an important commercial center.<ref name="Ring4">Ring, 1994, p.453</ref>
-In later centuries, Latakia started losing its prominence and was already declining as other ports such as [[Tripoli, Lebanon|Tripoli]] and [[Alexandria]] developed. The port was in a serious state of decline by 1450.
+In later centuries, Latakia started losing its prominence and was already declining as other ports such as [[Tripoli, Lebanon|Tripoli]] and [[Alexandria]] developed. The port was in a serious state of decline by 1450.<ref name="Ring3">Ring, 1994, p.454</ref>
-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.
+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.<ref name="Ring3"/>
 ===Modern===
-Under the [[French mandate of Syria|French mandate]], 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.
+Under the [[French mandate of Syria|French mandate]], 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.<ref name="Ring3"/> 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.<ref name="Ring5">Ring, 1994, p.455</ref>
-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.
+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.<ref name="Ring5"/> 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.<ref>Maʻoz, 1986, p.58</ref>
 ==References==
 {{Reflist}}
+==Bibliography==
+{{refbegin}}
+*{{Citation|title=International Dictionary of Historic Places|url=http://books.google.com/?id=R44VRnNCzAYC&pg=RA1-PA451&dq=Latakia|first1=Trudy|last1=Ring|first2=Robert M.|last2=Salkin|first3=Sharon|last3=La Boda|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=1994|isbn=1-884964-03-6, 9781884964039}}.
+*{{Citation|title=Rome in the East: The Transformation of an Empire|url=http://books.google.com/?id=8Q2XxXx5ZdsC&pg=PA33&dq=Emesa|first1=Warwick|last1=Ball|publisher=Routledge|year=2000|isbn=0-415-11376-8, 9780415113762}}.
+*{{Citation|title=Syria Under Assad: Domestic Constraints and Regional Risks|url=http://books.google.com/?id=VksOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA58&dq=Lattakia|first1=Moshe|last1=Maʻoz|first2=Avner|last2=Yaniv|last3=Gustav Heinemann Institute of Middle Eastern Studies|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=1986|isbn=0-7099-2910-2}}.
+{{refend}}
 [[Category:Ports and harbours of Syria]]