Big Creek or Cala Grande is a deep-water

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

facility on the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

in Belize's

Toledo District Toledo District is the southernmost district in Belize, and Punta Gorda is the District capital. It is the second most developed region in the country (according to the Human Development Index (HDI)). The district has a diverse topography whic ...

(just south of the boundary with Stann Creek District), constructed in the 1990s. It is the nation's second largest port, after

Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize and was once the capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2010 census, Belize City has a population of 57,169 people in 16,162 households. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, w ...

. Big Creek is the main port for Belize's banana industry;

citrus fruit ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is native to ...

and shrimp are also exported from here. It is also the location from which oil, extracted from the fields of Spanish Lookout, is exported.

Facilities

The port is

ISPS An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides services for accessing, using, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, non-profit, or otherwise private ...

certified and has 3 berths. Cargoes handled include bananas,

and

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

Hurricanes

The port is not a designated safe harbour with regard to hurricane preparedness. Big Creek was the location in which the Peter Hughes dive boat " Wave Dancer" capsized during Hurricane Iris in October 2001, killing 20 persons, comprising 3 crew members and 17 vacationing divers from Richmond, Virginia.

References

External links

*{{url, http://www.portofbigcreek.com/ Populated places in Toledo District Port cities in the Caribbean Ports and harbours of Belize