Ports & Harbours of the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic coast of Iberia
YearMaps maps 51 harbours on the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic coast of Iberia, in 3 countries and territories. The largest by the World Port Index's harbour size are Las Palmas, Bordeaux, Funchal, Rochefort, Bayonne and Aveiro. One is written up in full below, and every harbour is listed with its depths, tidal range and the largest ships it takes.
The Bay of Biscay curves from Brittany to Galicia, long feared by sailors for its Atlantic storms, and the coast of Iberia runs on south past Porto and Lisbon to Cádiz. From Lisbon and Seville the voyages of the Portuguese and Spanish empires set out in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and Basque harbours sent whalers to Newfoundland. The harbours of the Canary Islands and the Azores are listed here as well.
- Harbours
- 51
- Countries
- 3
- Large Harbours
- 3
- Written Up
- 1
Map of the Ports of the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic coast of Iberia
Blue dots are the harbours of the World Port Index; tap or click one to open its entry. Use the layer panel to add trade routes, rivers and historical borders.
Sines
The harbour of the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic coast of Iberia with an encyclopedia article, each with its figures from the World Port Index.
Sines
Medium harbour · Portugal
The Port of Sines is the largest artificial port in Portugal, and a deep water port, natural backgrounds to -28 m ZH with specialized terminals that allow the movement of different types of goods. Besides being the main port on the Atlantic seaboard of Portugal due to its geophysical characteristics, is the main gateway to the energy supply of Portugal: container, natural gas, coal, oil and its derivatives. Construction started in 1973 and it came into operation in 1978. The Port of Sines Administration (Administração do Porto de Sines, APS) was created on 14 December 1977. The port operates 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, providing services such as: control of maritime traffic; pilotage, towage and mooring; access control and surveillance; drinking water and bunkers; prevent accidents/pollution; repairs on board or ashore.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Port of Sines (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Harbour size
- Medium
- Anchorage depth
- 5.5 m
- Cargo pier depth
- 27.4 m
- Oil terminal depth
- 9.1 m
- Tidal range
- 4 m
- Largest vessel
- medium vessels
- Country
- Portugal
- Province
- Setúbal
- Coordinates
- 37.9500°, -8.8700°
More about Sines
Location and hinterland
The Port of Sines direct hinterland comprises all the south and midland part of Portugal. It is located at 150 km from Lisbon, 125 km from Évora, 100 km from Beja and 182 km from Faro.
Users of the port can interact with all the authorities and port services through a single communication channel.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Port of Sines (CC BY-SA 4.0).
All Harbours of the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic coast of Iberia
51 harbours, the largest first by the index's harbour size. Channel depth and tidal range set the physical limit on which ships can call. 23 of them are recorded in the source with the city they serve.
| Harbour | Country | Size | Channel | Anchorage | Tide | Largest vessel | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Palmas | Spain | Major | 34.7 m | — | 2 m | large vessels | |
| Bordeaux | France | Major | 31.1 m | — | — | large vessels | |
| Funchal | Portugal | Major | 31.1 m | — | 2 m | large vessels | |
| Rochefort | France | Medium | 56.7 m | — | 12 m | medium vessels | |
| Bayonneserves Biarritz | France | Medium | 49.4 m | — | 3 m | large vessels | |
| Aveiro | Portugal | Medium | 45.7 m | — | 3 m | medium vessels | |
| Les Sables D' Olonne | France | Medium | 45.7 m | 42.1 m | 11 m | — | |
| Puerto de Bilbaoserves Bilbao | Spain | Medium | 45.7 m | — | 9 m | large vessels | |
| Lorient | France | Medium | 42.1 m | — | 4 m | medium vessels | |
| Sevillaserves Seville | Spain | Medium | 42.1 m | — | 6 m | medium vessels | |
| Ferrol | Spain | Medium | 34.7 m | 34.7 m | 4 m | medium vessels | |
| la Palliceserves La Rochelle | France | Medium | 34.7 m | — | 3 m | large vessels | |
| Santa Cruz de Tenerife | Spain | Medium | 34.7 m | — | 2 m | large vessels | |
| Cadizserves Cádiz | Spain | Medium | 31.1 m | — | 4 m | medium vessels | |
| Huelva | Spain | Medium | 31.1 m | — | 4 m | medium vessels | |
| Montoir | France | Medium | 31.1 m | — | — | — | |
| St Nazaire | France | Medium | 31.1 m | 16.5 m | 4 m | large vessels | |
| Vigo | Spain | Medium | 5.5 m | — | 3 m | medium vessels | |
| Sines | Portugal | Medium | — | 5.5 m | 4 m | medium vessels | |
| Tonnay Charente | France | Small | 49.4 m | — | — | medium vessels | |
| Ambes | France | Small | 45.7 m | 38.4 m | 13 m | large vessels | |
| Blaye | France | Small | 42.1 m | 38.4 m | 13 m | large vessels | |
| Ponta Delgada | Portugal | Small | 42.1 m | — | 2 m | medium vessels | |
| Viana Do Castelo | Portugal | Small | 42.1 m | — | 2 m | large vessels | |
| Aviles | Spain | Small | 38.4 m | 31.1 m | 3 m | medium vessels | |
| Pauillac | France | Small | 38.4 m | 38.4 m | 13 m | large vessels | |
| Setubalserves Setúbal | Portugal | Small | 34.7 m | — | 4 m | large vessels | |
| Horta | Portugal | Small | 31.1 m | — | 2 m | medium vessels | |
| le Verdon | France | Small | 31.1 m | 38.4 m | 10 m | large vessels | |
| Donges | France | Small | 27.4 m | 16.5 m | 5 m | large vessels | |
| la Corunaserves La Coruña | Spain | Small | 20.1 m | — | 4 m | large vessels | |
| Gijonserves Gijón | Spain | Small | 16.5 m | — | 3 m | medium vessels | |
| Marin | Spain | Small | 5.5 m | 5.5 m | 4 m | medium vessels | |
| Lajes | Portugal | Very Small | 56.7 m | 5.5 m | — | — | |
| Oportoserves Porto | Portugal | Very Small | 53 m | — | 7 m | medium vessels | |
| Vila Real de S Antonio | Portugal | Very Small | 53 m | 38.4 m | 2 m | — | |
| Arrecife | Spain | Very Small | 49.4 m | — | 2 m | medium vessels | |
| Bermeo | Spain | Very Small | 49.4 m | 5.5 m | 5 m | medium vessels | |
| Concarneau | France | Very Small | 49.4 m | 31.1 m | 3 m | medium vessels | |
| Faro | Portugal | Very Small | 49.4 m | — | 2 m | medium vessels | |
| Figueira da Foz | Portugal | Very Small | 45.7 m | 27.4 m | 8 m | medium vessels | |
| Rota | Spain | Very Small | 38.4 m | 38.4 m | 3 m | large vessels | |
| Angra Do Heroismoserves Angra do Heroísmo | Portugal | Very Small | 31.1 m | — | 2 m | medium vessels | |
| Puerto del Rosario | Spain | Very Small | 31.1 m | 20.1 m | 3 m | medium vessels | |
| Ribadeo | Spain | Very Small | 31.1 m | 38.4 m | 4 m | large vessels | |
| Santa Cruz de la Palma | Spain | Very Small | 31.1 m | 5.5 m | 2 m | large vessels | |
| Vila Do Porto | Portugal | Very Small | 31.1 m | 5.5 m | 2 m | large vessels | |
| Praia de Vitoria | Portugal | Very Small | 20.1 m | 5.5 m | 2 m | medium vessels | |
| San Ciprian | Spain | Very Small | 20.1 m | 31.1 m | 4 m | medium vessels | |
| Villagarcia de Arosa | Spain | Very Small | 12.8 m | 49.4 m | 4 m | medium vessels | |
| Lagos | Portugal | unknown | — | — | — | — |
Port Cities of the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic coast of Iberia
The most populous cities with a harbour of the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic coast of Iberia within 25 km. Each city is listed with its country's other cities on the country page.
- Porto1.34 million
Portugal · Oporto
- Seville1.21 million
Spain · Sevilla
- Bilbao875,552
Spain · Puerto de Bilbao, Bermeo (25 km)
- Bordeaux803,000
- Vigo378,952
- Las Palmas378,495
Spain · Las Palmas
- La Coruña370,610
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife336,061
Spain · Santa Cruz de Tenerife
- Gijón335,972
- Cádiz283,157
- Oviedo235,651
Spain · Gijon (24 km)
- Funchal204,767
Portugal · Funchal
- Biarritz145,348
France · Bayonne
- Huelva144,174
Spain · Huelva
- Setúbal117,974
Portugal · Setubal
- Lorient84,952
France · Lorient
- La Rochelle76,997
France · la Pallice
- Ponta Delgada61,526
Portugal · Ponta Delgada
- Portimão61,226
Portugal · Lagos (9 km)
- Aveiro54,162
Portugal · Aveiro
- Arrecife52,944
Spain · Arrecife
- Faro41,355
Portugal · Faro
Countries with Harbours on the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic coast of Iberia
More Seas and Coasts
- Ports of North Sea
- Ports of Skagerrak & Kattegat
- Ports of Baltic Sea
- Ports of Norwegian Sea & European Arctic
- Ports of Irish Sea & Celtic Sea
- Ports of English Channel
See every sea, grouped from North America to Oceania & Antarctica, on the world ports index, or the voyages that crossed these waters on the famous sea voyages map.
Bay of Biscay & Atlantic Iberia: Quick Answers
- How many ports are there on the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic coast of Iberia?
- YearMaps lists 51 ports and harbours on the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic coast of Iberia, from the World Port Index of the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Small fishing harbours and private terminals outside the index are not counted.
- Which countries have ports on the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic coast of Iberia?
- Spain (20), Portugal (16) and France (15).
- What are the largest ports on the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic coast of Iberia?
- By the World Port Index's harbour size, the largest are Las Palmas, Bordeaux, Funchal, Rochefort, Bayonne and Aveiro.
- What are the main port cities on the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic coast of Iberia?
- The most populous cities with a harbour here are Porto (1.34 million), Seville (1.21 million), Bilbao (875,552), Bordeaux (803,000) and Vigo (378,952).