Skikda (Algeria)

Skikda/Sakikdah is a Mediterranean port and city in Algeria's Skikda Province (North Africa), with total area approx 52 km2 (20 mi2) and population around 250,000. In the period 1838-1962, the town was named Philippeville.

The settlement (as Philippeville) was founded in 1838 (during Colonial Algeria/1830-1962) as a harbor port for Algeria's Constantine City. French Algeria was established in 1830 and became an independent country in 1962.

The city's landscape is hilly and forested, with high ridges on both its sides (eastern and western). Major industries are oil refining, petrochemical and natural gas, with long pipelines for their transportation.

The city is the terminus of the Constantine-Skikda railway. The coastline has many beaches.

Historically, Skikda is famous for its seaport - ranked Algeria's 3rd largest commercial port - after Algiers and Oran. The port has a dedicated petrochemical terminal and a separate fishing port (Stora).

Major incidents in Port Skikda occurred in 1989 and 2004.

(February 15, 1989) the oil tanker Maassluis was anchored outside the port, waiting to dock the following day, when ship's anchors failed and the vessel smashed port's pier-head. The disaster killed 27 of all 29 crew onboard.

(January 19, 2004) fire and explosion at Skikda LNG facility killed 29 and caused damages with total worth around USD 940 million. This accident incapacitated 3 LNG gas trains and impacted approx 2% of world's liquefaction capacity. The explosion was preceded by ingestion of a leak of cold hydrocarbon into boiler of port's westernmost LNG line, causing boiler's explosion. Ranked as world's largest industrial disaster, Skikda explosion is also ranked 3rd largest in the hydrocarbon industry.