Porto Rifugio di Gela, Commercial harbor in Gela, Sicily, Italy

Porto Rifugio di Gela is an artificial shelter harbour on the Gulf of Gela, built in the 1950s with a north quay and a west breakwater that shield it from north-west to north-east winds blowing about 200 days a year. A levante arm added in the mid-1980s cut inner and outer depths from 4-5 m to 2-3 m, and the entrance now has less than 2 m, with silting that narrows the passable channel.

Porto Rifugio di Gela was built in the 1950s with a north quay and a west breakwater sheltering it from north-west to north-east winds that blow some 200 days a year. It replaced the inadequate landing pier about 750 m west, near the fishing quarter, where grain, cotton, sponges, dwarf-palm brooms, wine and oil were loaded. From the mid-1960s it became a mere support to Porto Isola and its breakwater, built by the Sicilian Region and granted to ENI.

The port features a traditional shipyard where skilled craftsmen continue to build wooden vessels using long-standing construction techniques.

The entrance channel has less than 2 m of water and silting often forces a single obligatory passage, so small boats enter with care. The inner depths fell from 4-5 m to 2-3 m after the eastern arm was built in the mid-1980s. Mobile pontoons with water and power columns serve leisure craft; there are no sanitary facilities for passing sailors.

The levante breakwater added in the mid-1980s trapped sand carried by currents, cutting depths from 4-5 m to 2-3 m, with spots as shallow as 1.3-1.5 m. The entrance now has less than 2 m of water and forced passages, so even small boats can be at risk.