The characteristic of the River Plata has been one of the essential elements for the development of the Uruguay territory en the sealanes who link the old continent with the south Atlantic region, the geography of Uruguay plays a vital role by providing protection to the ships coming to the shores of the River Plata in general and Montevideo Bay in particular.
Within de Rio Plata, the Bay of Montevideo is very advantageous in competition with other places the same as the Bay of Maldonado, Santa Lucia o Colonia del Sacramento.
In 1516 Juan Diaz de Solis arrived on the coast of Uruguay followed by Sebastian Cabot.
The origins of the city name remains highly debated, there is a account that claims Portuguese sailor’s when arriving off the coast called out I seeing a hill , others give Ferdinand de Magellan and his crew the honour that they has named the city, after arrival there in 1520.
But it took another two hundred years before the first settlers arrived in 1724, when Montevideo was founded by Don Bruno Mauricio de Zabala on orders of the King of Spain.
Rivalry with the Portuguese established the need to retain the strategic position of the Bay of Montevideo, with it natural harbour.
1726 The port became Spain’s main naval base in the South Atlantic with powers over de Falkland and part of the Argentinean coast
The city was growing, and with it the commercial activity in the port.
1791 Montevideo is the only port who is granted to handle slaves for the Spanish possessions in this region, and also to operate as a free trade port without tax obstacles.
With the advent of the nineteenth century’s, priority was given to construct piers and two jetties, one on the side of the hill and another at Punta San José.
In 1802 the need arouse to deepen the entrance cannel and port to allow deeper draught vessels to enter the port to avoid pamperos, which had many ship driven on the rocks.
In 1804 in the last period of the Spanish colonization a light tower was inaugurated on the hill.
During the government of General Oribe los Sres, Lafone and Carreras constructed part of La Rambla the promenade and port.
Commercial transactions were done from these using two or more docks in particular; this was the first recorded private operational port.
Under the influence of Brazil, Argentine and local groups, Puerto de Montevideo was besieged and blockaded by a combined Uruguayan-Argentine army from 1843 until 1851.
British and French forces helped the city’s defenders. Despite these problems, Puerto de Montevideo flourished and was the most important port in the Rio de la Plata region.
1852 Port regulations were promulgated.
The second half of 19th century was marked by countless port projects submitted to the authorities.
1883 The regulations were formed in a law authorizing to construct a port in the bay, according to the given requirements.
11 Projects were submitted but after serious public accusations how they had conducted the negotiations, but then, by a degree of General Máximo Tajes all contracts were annulled.
Subsequently a general council of public works was formed in 1889 in which the Executive called for a new contest in which 24 proposals were submitted, the Executive called attention to the different solutions presented in the projects, assuming that all were based on different principles. He claimed the absence of serious studies in winds, tides, currents and funds etc. in the projects.
In 1894 by law authorizing the definitive study of the port of Montevideo by a special commission composed of local and foreign engineers.
1899 The project was approved by the Government and bids were called for.
January 1901 the contract was signed and works commenced on 18 July 1901.
25 August 1909 was planned for the inauguration of the port, but a tragic ships collision on 24 August 1909 in the entrance of the port between the Argentinean passenger steamer COLUMBIA and the North German Lloyd cargo vessel SCHLESIEN, in which the COLUMBIA sank with the loss of 85 people, the port was never officially opened.
In 2008 over 5200 vessels made a call at Montevideo port and the port handled almost 9.1 million tons of cargo.
Uruguay 2009 $37 sgMS?, scott? (Till so far not any ship on the MS is identified.)
Source: mostly translated from http://www.correo.com.uy/index.asp?codp ... dp+901&s=1 and other web-sites.
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