Port of Mayagüez
Encyclopedia
The Port of Mayagüez, located northwest of downtown
Mayagüez, is the third busiest port on Puerto Rico
.. The port is situated along Puerto Rico routes 64, 341, and 3341, and stretches for 3.8 miles along the coast. Its main canal is .4 miles wide and its depth ranges from 47 to 120 feet, the water's depth along the piers ranges between 28 and 29 feet. Until April 2010, the port's main tenant was Ferries del Caribe which provided daily ferry
service to the Dominican Republic
. Its sole vessel, Caribbean Express (1976/ 18,888 gt,) was scrapped at Alang in late 2010. From March 2011, the ferry service to the Dominican Republic is restarted by America Cruise Ferries.
During the Winter 2010/2011 cruise season, the port was visited periodically by ships of the Holland America Line including the ms Prinsendam.
The port is protected from rough seas by reefs which run along its northern and western sections. The port is located in Mayagüez Bay
.
was already identified by name in the cartography of the era. Yet until the middle of the seventeen hundreds there was no official commercial activity with the metropolis
, contraband was the only commerce that existed.
The Royal Decree of Graces of 1815
stimulated the immigration of foreigners with money and slaves. By 1838 the Customs House
or Aduana was opened.
From 1813 to 1824, 1818 to 1820 and 1826 to 1827 it became the largest exporter of goods to the international markets in all of Puerto Rico. In 1827 a road was constructed from the city center to the port area. In 1858, the Cyclopedia of Commerce and Commercial Navigation identified the port of Mayagüez as the most important port in the island of Puerto Rico.
One of the main ports in Spanish Puerto Rico, by 1836 the Municipal Government had built a dock and a longhouse to facilitate the loading and unloading of goods. For some time it was maintained by municipal funds until 1886 when the "Junta de Obras del Puerto" begun to operate the facilities. Its modern incarnation was built in 1935 as the "Mayagüez Shipping Terminal". In 1959 it became property of the Puerto Rico Ports Authority
. At one time before 1940 it became the main port for exporting sugar from Puerto Rico. It is presently owned by the Municipal Government of Mayagüez and since 2007 it is administered by Holland Group.
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
Mayagüez, is the third busiest port on Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
.. The port is situated along Puerto Rico routes 64, 341, and 3341, and stretches for 3.8 miles along the coast. Its main canal is .4 miles wide and its depth ranges from 47 to 120 feet, the water's depth along the piers ranges between 28 and 29 feet. Until April 2010, the port's main tenant was Ferries del Caribe which provided daily ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
service to the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
. Its sole vessel, Caribbean Express (1976/ 18,888 gt,) was scrapped at Alang in late 2010. From March 2011, the ferry service to the Dominican Republic is restarted by America Cruise Ferries.
During the Winter 2010/2011 cruise season, the port was visited periodically by ships of the Holland America Line including the ms Prinsendam.
The port is protected from rough seas by reefs which run along its northern and western sections. The port is located in Mayagüez Bay
Mayagüez Bay
The Mayagüez Bay is a bay located in western Puerto Rico.The bay has recently been opened to the city of Mayaguez with the building of the Parque del Litoral because of the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games. The Port of Mayagüez is located in the bay. The Yagüez River empties into the bay....
.
History
By 1754, six years before been officially a town, the Mayagüez BayMayagüez Bay
The Mayagüez Bay is a bay located in western Puerto Rico.The bay has recently been opened to the city of Mayaguez with the building of the Parque del Litoral because of the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games. The Port of Mayagüez is located in the bay. The Yagüez River empties into the bay....
was already identified by name in the cartography of the era. Yet until the middle of the seventeen hundreds there was no official commercial activity with the metropolis
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, contraband was the only commerce that existed.
The Royal Decree of Graces of 1815
Royal Decree of Graces of 1815
The Royal Decree of Graces of 1815 is a legal order approved by the Spanish Crown in the early half of the 19th century to encourage Spaniards and later Europeans of non-Spanish origin to settle and populate the colonies of Cuba and Puerto Rico....
stimulated the immigration of foreigners with money and slaves. By 1838 the Customs House
U.S. Custom House (Mayagüez, Puerto Rico)
The U.S. Customs House or "Edificio Aduana" is a historic custom house building located at Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. As of February 10, 1988, the building was owned by the U.S. Customs Service, Washington, D.C.-History:...
or Aduana was opened.
From 1813 to 1824, 1818 to 1820 and 1826 to 1827 it became the largest exporter of goods to the international markets in all of Puerto Rico. In 1827 a road was constructed from the city center to the port area. In 1858, the Cyclopedia of Commerce and Commercial Navigation identified the port of Mayagüez as the most important port in the island of Puerto Rico.
One of the main ports in Spanish Puerto Rico, by 1836 the Municipal Government had built a dock and a longhouse to facilitate the loading and unloading of goods. For some time it was maintained by municipal funds until 1886 when the "Junta de Obras del Puerto" begun to operate the facilities. Its modern incarnation was built in 1935 as the "Mayagüez Shipping Terminal". In 1959 it became property of the Puerto Rico Ports Authority
Puerto Rico Ports Authority
The Puerto Rico Ports Authority is a public corporation created by the Legislative Assembly of the United States' Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to develop and operate ports and airports within the Commonwealth...
. At one time before 1940 it became the main port for exporting sugar from Puerto Rico. It is presently owned by the Municipal Government of Mayagüez and since 2007 it is administered by Holland Group.