Situated on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean the city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988. Its harbour opens into a protected strait, the Pertuis d'Antioche since the Middle-Ages. It is in fact a "Door océane" by the presence of its three ports (of fishing, trade and yachting). A city of strong commercial tradition, its port was active from its origins. It underwent sustained development in the classic period, and maintained standing in the contemporary period because of its port La Pallice. This is the only deep water port of the French Atlantic coast; it is ranked as the sixth-most important port nationally.