Ploče is located on the Adriatic coast in Dalmatia just north of the Neretva Delta and is the natural seaside endpoint of most north-south routes through the central Dinaric Alps.

During the socialist Yugoslavia, between 1950 and 1954, and again from 1980 to 1990, Ploče was named Kardeljevo after the Yugoslav politician Edvard Kardelj.

Work on the present day harbour first began in 1939 [8] but was destroyed during World War II.

Bosnia and Croatia are currently in negotiations as regards the establishment of a "privileged economic zone" for Bosnian businesses within the Ploče port facilities, though this development is hindered by the opposition of local government, and Croatian people to the concept of a partial loss of sovereignty over the port.

This topic was a subject of lengthy negotiations; easier passage for Croatian citizens through the narrow strip of Bosnia and Herzegovina territory (that divides Croatia's land territory) near Neum, in exchange for privileges for Bosnia and Herzegovina in Ploče.