Havana Harbor
Havana Harbor is the port of Havana, the capital of Cuba, and it is the main port in Cuba. Other port cities in Cuba include Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Manzanillo, and Santiago de Cuba.
The harbor was created from the natural Havana Bay. It is entered through a narrow inlet and divides into three main harbors: Marimelena, Guanabacoa, and Atarés.
History
It was fortified by the Spaniards in the sixteenth century who in 1553 transferred the governor's residence to Havana from Santiago de Cuba on the eastern end of the island, thus making Havana the
The
USS Maine
The sinking of the
In January 1898 the
La Coubre
On March 4, 1960, the harbor was the scene of a deadly explosion when the French freighter
First recorded shark attack
Havana Harbor has the distinction of having the first recorded shark attack, which occurred in 1749 to British sailor Brook Watson.
Facilities
Ensenada de Marimelena
The town or
Ensenada de Guasabacoa
Least developed of the harbor arms.
Ensenada de Atarés
The harbor in Old Havana offers cruise ship terminals, shipping and vessel repair services operated by Asticar.[6]
Environmental conditions
As a harbor almost completely surrounded by shipping and industrial activities, the waters of the bay suffer from environmental stress. This in turn affects the water quality of the Caribbean Sea into which it flows.[7] Water entering the bay as river flows or effluent from industrial processes has a residence in the harbor of 8 days, on average. It receives approximately 48,000 m3 of waste water per day, which carries about 4,800 kg of nitrogen and 1,200 kg of phosphorus, which results in elevated concentrations of nutrients. Havana Bay is strongly affected by sewage dumping, and it also receives suspended solids, hydrocarbons, heavy metals and pollutants from agriculture, industry and port activities. The leading sources of pollution in the bay have been identified as the Luyano River which contains organic material, nutrients, sewage, solid waste,[8] the Regla oil refinery, fish hatcheries, and port activities. The high concentration of hydrocarbons, heavy metals and other pollutants is of concern as the harbor is an important fishing port.[7]
References
- ^ Old Havana
- ^ Spanish–American War Archived 2001-11-17 at the Library of Congress Web Archives, "Effects of the Press on Spanish–American Relations in 1898"
- ^ The Maine
- ^ US Navy History
- ^ Aleksandr Fursenko and Timothy J. Naftali. One Hell of a Gamble: Khrushchev, Castro, and Kennedy, 1958-1964, New York: 1998, W.W. Nort & Company, Inc., p. 40.
- ^ Shipyard data
- ^ a b Antonio Villasol, Manuel Alepuz and Jesus Beltrán, "Integrated Management of Bays and Coastal Zones in the Wider Caribbean Region: Facts and Needs", in I. Dight, R. Kenchington and J. Baldwin (eds). Proceedings: International Tropical Marine Ecosystems Management Symposium (ITMEMS), November 1998, Townsville Australia, pp. 192-205
- ^ Michael Martinez, "In Cuba, a hard river to clean", Chicago Tribune, September 25, 2007