The Port of Huelva is a cargo and fishing port located off the Spanish southwestern coast, belonging to the municipalities of

Huelva Huelva (, ) is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is between two short rias though has an outlying spur including nature reserve on the Gulf of Cádiz coast. The rias ...

and

Palos de la Frontera Palos de la Frontera () is a town and municipality located in the southwestern Spanish province of Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is situated some from the provincial capital, Huelva. According to the 2015 census, the city ...

. With a total annual traffic capacity of 33.8 million tonnes, it is the second biggest port in

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

after the

Port of Algeciras The Port of Algeciras is the port and harbour of Algeciras, a city located in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It is a commercial, fishing and passenger port. Primarily a transshipment port, its position nea ...

Description

The port is located in the estuary formed by the

Odiel The Odiel ( es, Río Odiel) is a river in the Atlantic basin in southern Spain, more precisely in the province of Huelva, Andalusia. It originates at Marimateos in the Sierra de Aracena at an elevation of above sea level. At the Punta del Seb ...

and

Río Tinto The Río Tinto (, ''red river'' or Tinto River) is a river in southwestern Spain that rises in the Sierra Morena mountains of Andalusia. It flows generally south-southwest, reaching the Gulf of Cádiz at Huelva. The Rio Tinto river has a unique ...

rivers. It is operated by the Port Authority of Huelva. It is divided into two sectors: the Inner Port (in the city) and the Outer Port (the main port). The Inner Port's single wharf, the East Wharf, is the one used for smaller traffic including tourist boats. The Outer Port, with six wharves, is located to the south of the River Tinto.

History

Rich in metals, the Huelva region was known to be an exporter of silver already in

Antiquity Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to: Historical objects or periods Artifacts *Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures Eras Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...

in the context of the "

Tartessos Tartessos ( es, Tarteso) is, as defined by archaeological discoveries, a historical civilization settled in the region of Southern Spain characterized by its mixture of local Paleohispanic and Phoenician traits. It had a proper writing system ...

" culture. The mining activity was resumed by the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

. The precursor of the current Port Authority of Huelva, the ''Junta Especial de Comercio y Puerto de Huelva'', was created on 8 December 1873, during a period of resurgence of the mining activity in the

province of Huelva Huelva () is a province of southern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by Portugal, the provinces of Badajoz, Seville, and Cádiz, and the Atlantic Ocean. Its capital is Huelva. Its area is 10,1 ...

thanks to the injection of foreign capital and technology. The Muelle de Riotinto was built in 1874-76 for the export of ore from Huelva to Britain. It is no longer in commercial use but is now a tourist attraction. The East Wharf replaced constructed harbour facilities of inferior quality between 1900 and 1910. In the 1960s much of the activity was moved to the ''Puerto Exterior'', located in

, more apt for ships with greater

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vessel ...

: as it was passed the project for a mineral loading dock and an oil dock in Torre Arenilla in 1963, the ''Levante'' dock (in the ''Puerto Interior'') was mostly left for fishing, specializing in the commercialization of frozen fish. The Outer Port was built in 1965. The Inner Port, which incorporates the East Wharf, was constructed in 1972.

Statistics

Freight volume:

References

Bibliography

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Huelva Buildings and structures in the Province of Huelva