Delfzijl (Netherlands Groningen)

Delfzijl is a major North Sea/Baltic Sea port, river cruise port and city in the Netherlands' Groningen province, with population around 25,000. Port Delfzijl is one of the gateways to Groningen City (province's capital) - together with Eemshaven.

By annual cargo shipping traffic, Port Delfzijl (locode NLDZL) is ranked Holland's 5th largest seaport - after Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Moerdijk, and Terneuzen. For larger (ocean-going) passenger liners, Delfzijl is the cruise port for Groningen (province's capital city). Groningen Seaports is the Delfzijl port authority (terminal operator). The company provides all standard port services to its industrial and commercial clients, including tugboat assistance, berthing, logistics, infrastructure, site maintenance.

The settlement was founded around the former sluice (gate-controlled water channel, now part of Damsterdiep) connecting the rivers Ems and Delf. In the 16th-century, Delfzijl became a fortified town, but its fortifications were dismantled by the late-19th-century.

Most major construction works were conducted in late-16th-century when the here were built a square sconce (small protective fortification/earthwork) and a church. Ba late-16th-century, the fortifications were expanded with 6 stone-made bastions (bulwarks). During Kerstvloed 1717 (Christmas Flood of 1717) town's fortifications and sluices were severely damaged and finally removed in 1875 to free space for the new train station.

Town's economy was based on grain milling, straw-made paper, and clay-made bricks. The current-day town's economy is based on cargo shipping and Aluminium Delfzijl (plant owned by the Indian corporation Tata Steel Europe Ltd). In 2004, the plant reported record production of 112,400 tons of liquid aluminum and 157,700 tons of raw metal castings.

As cruise port, Delfzijl is regularly included in the schedules of some of Europe's largest river cruise companies - like CroisiEurope, Phoenix Reisen, Nicko Cruises.