The Port of Bejaia is the northeastern port in Algeria on the Mediterranean shores of Africa, about 125 miles east of Algiers. At the mouth of the Wadi Soummam, it's sheltered by Mount Gouraya and Cape Carbon. It houses the ruins of a small Roman town, Saldae, founded by the Emperor Vespasian and of a Berber settlement occupied by the Bejaia tribe.
Port History
The Port of Bejaia was the capital of a short-lived Vandal kingdom in Africa that was wiped out about 533 AD by the Byzantines. Though it disappeared for a time, it was refounded by the Berbers in the 11th Century. They made it their capital as well as an important cultural center and port.
In the Middle Ages, it was called Bougie, and it was a pirate stronghold that traded with Europe and introduced wax candle to the French. Occupied by the Spanish from 1510 to 1555, it was captured and ruled by the Turks until the French occupied it in 1833. Largely overshadowed by Algiers, the Port of Bejaia prospered due to harbor improvements undertaken from 1905 to 1909.
Port Commerce
Today, the Port of Bejaia is a busy market and export center. Exports include iron ore, phosphates, olive oil, wine, and cork. After the oil pipeline from Hassi Messaoud arrived in 1959, it grew to be a major port for Saharan oil traffic. Even though it's considered by many to be one of Algeria's most beautiful cities, Bejaia is not known as a popular tourist destination.
The Port of Bejaia is operated by the Bejaia Port Authority. In 1958, facilities were constructed to receive large tankers. Imports of general goods were only 55 thousand tons in 1952, but in 2004 they had reached 4.6 million tons. Total traffic through the port was expected to exceed 14 million tons in 2007.