History
Scroll to follow the harbour's course — from an ancient crossroads of trade to a modern container terminal.
An ancient crossroads
Aden's story as a trading center stretches back over 3,000 years — a harbour already old by the time the medieval world took notice of it.
Marco Polo & Ibn Battuta
Both travellers visited Aden, drawn — like traders for a thousand years before them — by its position on the world's trade routes.
Coal & water for steamers
Aden grew into a ship-fuelling port, holding stocks of coal and fresh water to supply the earliest steamships passing through.
The Suez Canal opens
Port services expanded quickly as Aden's position on the new, shorter route to Europe drew ever more shipping traffic.
Peak bunkering, and a refinery
Aden became one of the busiest bunkering and tax-free trading ports in the world; the Aden Refinery opened mid-decade to fuel it.
The canal closes
Ships were forced around the Cape of Good Hope, and Aden's trade declined under intensifying competition from new regional ports.
Ma'alla Terminal built
After 150 years of commercial activity, deep alongside berths and two post-Panamax cranes finally gave Aden modern dry-cargo handling.
Unity, and rapid growth
A newly unified Yemen drove rapid investment; container transshipment through Ma'alla grew from 10,000 to nearly 60,000 TEUs a year.
Aden Container Terminal
Built on the North Shore for the largest container vessels then in service, ACT was commissioned in March 1999 — a world-class facility.
Aden Gulf Terminal
A private jetty added two deep-water berths for bulk wheat and other cargo, increasing the port's capacity once again.