The Port of Almería is a busy

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

-port in

Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of the same name. It lies on southeastern Iberia on the Mediterranean Sea. Caliph Abd al-Rahman III founded the city in 955. The city gr ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Location

The port is located in the center of the city, and serves primarily as a ferry terminal. Crossings to destinations in North Africa take approximately 6 hours (normal ferry to

Nador Nador ( Riffian-Berber: ⵏⴰⴷⵓⵔ) is a coastal city and provincial capital in the northeastern Rif region of Morocco with a population of about 161,726 (2014 census). Nador city is separated from the Mediterranean Sea by a salt lagoon nam ...

Melilla Melilla ( , ; ; rif, Mřič ; ar, مليلية ) is an autonomous city of Spain located in north Africa. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was par ...

). This is a much longer (and more expensive) crossing than the short crossings from

Algeciras Algeciras ( , ) is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar ( es, Bahía de Algeci ...

Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the cap ...

, but it is more convenient for people traveling to the

Rif The Rif or Riff (, ), also called Rif Mountains, is a geographic region in northern Morocco. This mountainous and fertile area is bordered by Cape Spartel and Tangier to the west, by Berkane and the Moulouya River to the east, by the Mediterrane ...

area or

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. Almería offers also a

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

and a normal commercial port: it can receive cargo ships and cruise ships. The Royal Navy uses the port.

Ferry terminal

The ferry terminal is busy. Moroccan nationals living in Western Europe use the crossings from Almería to visit relatives in the summer. The port offers several sailings each day to different destinations in northern

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

and Algeria. The port has a large waiting and sorting area for cars. As people have often traveled a very long distance, they tend to arrive hours before departure of the ship. To prevent overheating, most waiting areas for the cars are under a roof to protect the car and its passengers from the sun. The main terminal building has the offices of all the operating companies, where they sell the tickets or exchange your prepaid tickets for a boarding pass. The terminal building is open 24 hours a day and includes a café, a small shop/kiosk for refreshments, and a call-shop. Foot passengers can wait inside the terminal building for their ship. Embarkation for foot passengers is situated on the first floor of the terminal building. After the Spanish immigration checks, a network of footbridges lead to the ship. These footbridges can reach each

quay A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring location ...

and via moving 'last metres', so that one can board the ships without having to touch the ground. The loading and unloading of cars does not interfere with the embarkation or disembarkation of foot passengers. Outside the main terminal building, there are a few restaurants, offering passengers a simple menu or drinks. There is also a small supermarket that is open 24 hours and facilities like toilets and showers.

Vessel Traffic Services

As Almería is a busy port where ships tend to constantly arrive and/or sail, all ships have to use a

harbour pilot A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harb ...

. On arrival, the pilot boards the ship when it arrives at the piers and leaves the ship when the first warp is fastened. On departure, the pilot leaves the ferry just before it passes the pier-head. A complicating factor for arriving ships is that all ferries have to swing round before docking: as the ships moor in Africa with the bow towards the key they have to dock in Almería with the stern facing the key or cars would have to turn on the ships or disembark driving backwards. At the entrance of the port is a large tower for the officers of the Vessel Traffic Services (VTS). The tower provides the staff with a good view over the harbour entrance and the entire port area. The VTS is fitted with radar on top of the tower.

Operators and destinations

Several shipping companies offer frequent connections with North Africa.Connections wit
Morocco
an

on the (Dutch) website of AFERRY.NL, retrieved 1 August 2010 ;Morocco *

FerriMaroc FerriMaroc was a Moroccan ferry company which started services between Nador Port in Morocco and the Port of Almeria in Spain. Since 2010 the company has been part of the Spanish operator Acciona Trasmediterránea.The Ferry site oFerriMaroc visit ...

and

Acciona Trasmediterránea Acciona, S.A. () is a Spanish multinational conglomerate dedicated to the development and management of infrastructure (construction, water, industrial and services) and renewable energy. The company, via subsidiary Acciona Energy, produces 21 te ...

Al Hoceima Al Hoceima ( ber, translit=Lḥusima, label= Riffian-Berber, ⵍⵃⵓⵙⵉⵎⴰ; ar, الحسيمة; '' es, Alhucemas'') is a Riffian city in the north of Morocco, on the northern edge of the Rif Mountains and on the Mediterranean coast. It i ...

: Comanav and

Comarit Comarit (Compagnie Maritime Maroco-Norvegiènne) was a Moroccan ferry operator. Comarit operated a freight and passenger ferry service between Morocco and Spain, France and Italy from 1984 to 2012. It was based in Tangier, one of the main points o ...

;Algeria *

Ghazaouet Ghazaouet is a town and commune in Tlemcen Province in northwestern Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algi ...

: SNCM *

Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...

: SNCM ;Spain *

- Acciona Trasmediterranea

References and notes

External links

Official website

Puertos del Estado
{{Authority control Almeria

Port of Almeria The Port of Almería is a busy ferry-port in Almería, Spain. Location The port is located in the center of the city, and serves primarily as a ferry terminal. Crossings to destinations in North Africa take approximately 6 hours (normal ferry t ...

Geography of the Province of Almería Transport in Andalusia