The port is located in Ashdod, about 40 kilometers south of Tel Aviv, adjoining the mouth of the Lachish River.

It handles the largest volume of cargo containers annually (1.525 million TEU in 2017) of all Israeli ports.

Thanks to this approach, the Port of Ashdod has managed so far to supply satisfactory solutions to the new types of cargoes and vessels which developed since its opening.

Modern vessels, maritime transport methods, and appropriate port facilities have developed very rapidly over the last 30 years.

The port began operations on November 21, 1965, with the entry of the Swedish ship "Wingland" and its cargo of sugar.

At the beginning of the 1990s the first generating unit in the new Rutenberg Power Station at Zikim, near Ashkelon, went into operation, fired by coal imported through the Port of Ashdod.

The big ship was brought into port by modern Voit-Schneider type tugboats, which have exceptional maneuverability and a bollard pull of 35 and 45 tons respectively.

Their discharge into the stores is carried out by conveyor systems and heaping machinery, at a rate of 800 to 1,500 tons per hour.

To alleviate this constraint, a US$75 million, 2.5  km long elevated conveyor system between the docks and silos is being constructed as of 2021.

Following the signing of the interim agreement between the governments of Israel and Egypt in the spring of 1975, the era of passenger cruise ships opened in the port.

The terminal adjoins the debarkation area and allows passengers quick and convenient access.

The first phase of the plan involves extending the existing main breakwater by 600m, the construction of a secondary 1.5 km breakwater, extensive land reclamation which will create a new container terminal with an 800m main quay capable of handling up to 18,000 TEU container ships and a secondary 500m quay, as well as an on-site freight rail terminal.

Alongside the new terminal, development plans being carried out also include the construction of additional cargo storage and logistical support areas near the port, electrical and communications networks, and new access roads connecting to the local and national traffic network.