20240301 – Since last October I have moved to Torrevieja in Spain and are therefore not taking as much photos of ships in Iceland but instead ship loading salt from this port and from the nearby ports of Cartagena and Alicante. Here is Torrevieja in focus.

The main export from Torrevieja, Spain, is salt. The port town has recently seen an uptick in activity, with three large-tonnage ships docking at the salt pier in a short span of time. Salt from Torrevieja, highly sought after during this time of year especially for de-icing roads in Northern Europe, is being exported in large quantities to England, Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland, in addition to Iceland. It is estimated that around 150,000 tonnes of salt will be exported this year, with an increase of 15,000 to 20,000 tonnes from the previous year.

Originally, Torrevieja was a salt mining and fishing village, located between the Mediterranean Sea and two large salt lakes known as Las Salinas de Torrevieja. Salt production has long been an important industry in the town and remains a major employer.

Here are photos of some ships that loaded salt from November 2023 to March 2024.