The Port of Split () is a

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 Hamburg, Manch ...

in the central

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

n city of

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

. The port was originally a trading post originally established by

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

settlers from the island of Vis and subsequently taken over by the Romans. The port thrived through the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, but it suffered a decline in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when the Port of Rijeka took over as the primary trading and shipping outlet of the region. The decline was also attributed to the decline of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, a traditional market for the Port of Split, and the growing domination of

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

. As of 2017, the port ranks as the largest passenger port in Croatia, the largest passenger port in the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

, and the 11th largest port in the Mediterranean, with annual passenger volume of approximately 5 million. By 2010, the Port of Split recorded 18,000 ship arrivals each year. The port is managed by the Port of Split Authority (PSA). In the late 2000s, the PSA and the port operators, Trajektna Luka Split d.d. and Luka d.d. Split, started to implement an investment plan aimed at increasing both passenger and cargo traffic volume, scheduled to be completed by 2015, which would allow the port to handle up to 7 million passengers per year.

Business operations

The Port of Split is the largest passenger port in Croatia and the third largest passenger seaport in the Mediterranean. The port is administered by the Port of Split Authority, and the primary concessionaires Trajektna Luka Split and Luka d.d. Split, as well as 11 secondary concessionaires awarded concessions to use the port facilities or provide services in the port. The primary concessionaires are operating the City Port Split and Vranjic-Solin basin area, respectively, with the secondary concessionaires active in Vranjic-Solin area of the port and the terminals based in Kaštela. The latter are Dalmacijacement, PROplin, Brodomerkur, Trast, Tehnospoj, Dujmovača, Žitni Terminal, INA, Profectus, Eko Kaštelanski Zaljev and OMV companies. Passenger and vehicle transit is handled by Jadrolinija, Krilo Shipping Company, Krilo - Kapetan Luka and Split Express; however in 2009 Jadrolinija share of the passenger traffic volume reached 85%. In 2009, total passenger traffic volume reached 3,995,846 passengers, representing a 3.3% drop compared to the previous year. The port serves eight island ferry lines, and nine additional passenger shipping lines connecting nearby islands. There are such transport links to the islands of

Brač Brač is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, with an area of , making it the largest island in Dalmatia, and the third largest in the Adriatic. It is separated from the mainland by the Brač Channel, which is wide.Hvar Hvar (; Chakavian: ''Hvor'' or ''For''; ; ; ) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, located off the Dalmatian coast, lying between the islands of Brač, Vis (island), Vis and Korčula. Approximately long, with a high east–west ridge of M ...

—carrying up to 2,000 and 1,000 vehicles per day during tourist seasons—as well as to islands of Vis,

Lastovo Lastovo () is an archipelago municipality in Dubrovnik-Neretva County in Croatia. The municipality consists of 46 islands with a total population of 792 people, of which 94.7% are ethnic Croats, and a land area of approximately . ''Lastovo Munic ...

Korčula Korčula () is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea. It has an area of , is long and on average wide, and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 15,522 inhabitants (2011) make it the second most populous Adriatic island after Krk. The populat ...

Šolta Šolta (; ; ) is an island in Croatia. It is situated in the Adriatic Sea in the central Dalmatian archipelago. Geography Šolta is located west of the island of Brač, south of Split (city), Split (separated by Split Channel) and east of the D ...

, Drvenik Veliki, Drvenik Mali providing regular transport links for a large area. In 2009, the ferry lines carried

annual average daily traffic Annual average daily traffic (AADT) is a measure used primarily in transportation planning, transportation engineering and retail location selection. Traditionally, it is the total volume of vehicle traffic of a highway or road for a year divided ...

of 1,698 vehicles. During the summer peak season, the

volume Volume is a measure of regions in three-dimensional space. It is often quantified numerically using SI derived units (such as the cubic metre and litre) or by various imperial or US customary units (such as the gallon, quart, cubic inch) ...

increases to a total of 3,812 vehicles on average. In 2008, the Port of Split recorded a total of 16,527 ship arrivals, and handled 2.7 million tonnes of cargo. In 2008, Luka d.d. Split, the primary cargo concessionaire company of the Port of Split, recorded substantial growth of transshipment volume. In the first nine months of the year, the company handled 276,000 tonnes of cargo, representing a growth rate of 20% achieved by that company. The cargo volume projected for the entire year was estimated at 345,000 tonnes, including 6,170 TEUs. The growth was permitted by investments made in late 2007, and the increased volume of operation brought about profit of approximately 2.4 million kuna (325,000

euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

) in the first nine months of 2008. Overall port operations continue to grow, as 18,000 arrivals were recorded by 2010. Director of the Split Port Authority is Joško Berket Bakota.

Transport facilities

The Port of Split is located on the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

coast in a bay protected by the

peninsula and a string of islands. Its facilities include terminals and other structures in Split,

Solin Solin is a town and a suburb of Split, in Split-Dalmatia county, Croatia. It is situated right northeast of Split, on the Adriatic Sea and the river Jadro. Solin developed on the location of ancient city of ''Salona'', which was the capital o ...

and

Kaštela Kaštela () is a town in Dalmatia, Croatia. The town is an agglomeration of seven individual settlements which are administered as a single municipality, with populations individually ranging from 3,000 to 7,000 residents. The town is located no ...

, all located on approximately of coast. The port is connected by the

International E-road network The international E-road network is a numbering system for roads in Europe developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The network is numbered from E1 up and its roads cross national borders. It also reaches Central ...

routes E65 and E71 carried by the Croatian A1 motorway and the D1 state road. The port is also connected with Zagreb by an un-electrified single-track railway, which runs through Knin and Karlovac. The port comprises several terminals: * The Port of Split - handles

yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...

s, fishing vessels, passenger ships, navigation safety craft,

sailing ship A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on Mast (sailing), masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing Square rig, square-rigged or Fore-an ...

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

seaplanes A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their technological characterist ...

and ferries; contains a passenger terminal and a rail link, 28 berths and accommodates vessels up to long with draught up to * Resnik-Divulje passenger terminal - designed to facilitate transfer of ship passengers to the Split Airport, located just away; The terminal consists of a single berth accommodating craft up to long with draught up to * Vranjic-Solin basin - used as a container cargo terminal, comprising 5 berths, a

roll-on/roll-off Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, Trailer (vehicle), trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their ...

ramp, 8 storage warehouses, including refrigerated storage and open storage area; the terminal accommodates ships up to long with draught up to ; The facility is located in Vranjic area north of the city of Split, connected by railway and its own truck terminal. The terminal comprises a Free Zone, allowing tax breaks for transshipment of cargo and processing of goods. The terminal encompasses a area. * Kaštela basin A - reserved for mooring of ships under instructions by the port authority * Kaštela basin B - cargo terminal used by the secondary concessionaires (other than Luka d.d. Split), generally for their own transport needs, accommodating ships with draught up to * Kaštela basin C - mooring for laid-up vessels,

pest control Pest control is the regulation or management of a species defined as a pest (organism), pest; such as any animal, plant or fungus that impacts adversely on human activities or environment. The human response depends on the importance of the da ...

, fishing boats etc.; the terminal accommodates craft with draught up to

Airlines and destinations

As of 13 August 2016, there are currently no scheduled services as the only airline here, European Coastal Airlines, has suspended operations.

History

The first trading post at the site of the Port of Split was Aspalathos, established by Greek settlers from the island of Vis in the 4th century BC. Position of the trading post was selected because of its location in a natural harbor and its proximity to numerous Adriatic Sea islands and extensive hinterland populated by

Illyria In classical and late antiquity, Illyria (; , ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; , ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyrians. The Ancient Gree ...

ns, most notably in

Salona Salona (, ) was an ancient city and the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia and near to Split, in Croatia. It was one of the largest cities of the late Roman empire with 60,000 inhabitants. It was the last residence of the final western ...

. The area subsequently became a part of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

, and after its

Decline of the Roman Empire The fall of the Western Roman Empire, also called the fall of the Roman Empire or the fall of Rome, was the loss of central political control in the Western Roman Empire, a process in which the Empire failed to enforce its rule, and its vast ...

, the coast was brought under rule of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

, until the area was absorbed into the Kingdom of Croatia in the beginning of the 10th century. In 1102, Croatia and

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

were joined in a

personal union A personal union is a combination of two or more monarchical states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, involves the constituent states being to some extent in ...

. By the 12th century, Split had developed trading routes with its hinterland and maritime trade throughout the Adriatic Sea and the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

. The

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

of gained full control of

and the city of Split by 1428. In the 16th century, Split was the central maritime trade outlet of the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

, where goods were transported from the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

to the Venetian Republic and vice versa. After the fall of Venice, Split was briefly ruled by the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

and

between 1797 and 1806, and the

First French Empire The First French Empire or French Empire (; ), also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. It lasted from ...

until 1813 when Austrian rule was restored. In that period, trade routes shifted to other Adriatic ports, especially the Port of Rijeka, causing a downturn in the city's economy. In the second half of the 19th century, the economy of the city of Split and its surrounding area started to recover and Split soon became hub of the central Dalmatia, connecting the hinterland and the neighboring islands. This spurred development of the city port and its transport connections, including construction of a new breakwater and the Split–

Knin Knin () is a city in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, located in the Dalmatian hinterland near the source of the river Krka (Croatia), Krka, an important traffic junction on the rail and road routes between Zagreb and Split, Croatia, Split. ...

railway. In 1925, the railway was linked to the

Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...

–

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

railway via

Gospić Gospić () is a town in Lika, Croatia. It is the seat of the Lika-Senj County. Geography Gospić is located in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of Lika. It is the administrative center of Lika-Senj County. Gospić is located n ...

, allowing development of a modern port. Since 1957, cargo terminals of the Port of Split were relocated from the city centre to industrial zones in

and

areas, while passenger traffic still uses the centrally positioned harbor.

Future expansion

As of 2011, the Port of Split facilities are intended to be modernized to specialize in domestic and international passenger traffic. Consequently, St. Nicholas pier is planned to be extended and summer seasonal berths are scheduled to be added by 2015. The Resnik-Divulje passenger terminal is planned to be expanded within the framework of the second construction stage entailing two additional berths by the end of 2014. The expansions of the two passenger terminals are aimed at achieving passenger transport capacity of 7 million passengers per year. Two new berths capable of accommodating long

cruise ships Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on tours known as " ...

are also planned, and is expected to cost 100 million kuna (13.3 million euro) to construct. The container terminal in Vranjic-Solin basin is also expected to be modernized and its infrastructure is planned to be upgraded. Other segments of the port are scheduled to undergo comparably minor repairs as well.

References

External links

The Port of Split Authority official page
(Croatian) *

NOAA The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, charting the seas, conducting deep-sea exploratio ...

maps :* Approaches to Spli
#54201
* Croatian Automobile Club :* Split Passenger Port (ferry dock
webcams
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