Western Harbour  of Alexandria, Egypt

Alexandria Egypt is the second largest city in Egypt after Cairo by size and population. It is a major seaport in the Nile River delta serving approximately 80% of Egypt’s imports and exports. This city is extending about 32 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country. Alexandria is Egypt’s largest seaport and the largest city laying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is an important industrial center and also an important tourist resort. 

The Western Harbour of Alexandria, situated to the west of the city of Alexandria along the Mediterranean coast of Egypt (Figure), is a complex harbor with an area of about 31 km2. The harbor is connected to the open sea by a narrow strait, which protects the bay from the prevailing NW winds and renders the harbor a safe anchorage. The water body inside the harbor has an average depth of 7 m. The harbor was naturally formed during the Pre-Holocene subsidence of the coast and the subsequent transgression of the sea (Butzer, 1960). Calcareous marine deposits cover the continental shelf surrounding the harbor.