Almeria (Spain Andalusia)

Almeria is a major Mediterranean port and city in Spain's Andalusia (autonomous region in southeastern Spain) with population around 200,000. Almeria is also a large ferry port serving the routes to Northern Africa (Morocco and Spanish Morocco).

Almeria was founded because of the need for a better defense system for regional Arab towns. Abd-al-Rahman III (Cordoba's Emir between 912-29) founded the Citadel (Alcazaba), which gave this city its name: "the Watchtower" (Al-Mari'yah).

In 2000, geologists found a cave in an abandoned silver mine (close to Almeria) filled with huge gypsum crystals. The cavity (measuring 1,8 x 1,7 m) is currently the biggest geode (spherical rock containing a hollow cavity lined with crystals) ever found. The cave's entrance has been blocked by 5 tons of rocks and is now under police protection in order to prevent looters from entering. It is also not accessible to tourists. According to existing geological models, this unique cave was formed around 6 million years ago, when the Mediterranean Sea evaporated and left layers of salt sediments.

The city's economy is mostly based on agriculture, located mainly in the western part of the area. Numerous greenhouses produce tonnes of fruit and vegetables with over 70% of the production being exported to the rest of Europe.

Port Almeria

Puerto de Almeria (locode ESLEI) serves sea connections to Algeria, Morocco and Melilla, and also Mediterranean ship cruises.

A major development project expanded the facility with new docks and Almeria became a container port with capacity to handle large-sized boxships.

The Port also has a premium marina with moorings for yachts and pleasure boats.

Regularly scheduled ferries connect Almeria with Algeria (Oran, Ghazaouet) and Morocco (Melilla, Nador).

For 2018-H1 (first half), Port Almeria exported a total of 1,352804 million tons of solid bulk cargoes, the most exported of which are plaster, cement, and clinker (cement lumps). These cargoes go mainly to the UK and Ireland, and Africa - Morocco, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Ghana.

On November 23, 2020, the Spanish passenger shipping company BALEARIA carried out Port Almeria's first-ever LNG bunkering operation by supplying with LNG (liquefied natural gas) the cruiseferry Bahama Mama. The fuel was bunkered via the truck-to-ship method.