The fact that the Valencia coastline lacked natural shelter of any kind for port use was always an obstacle to the start of maritime trade. Despite the difficulties however, trade activities are evident as of the 6th century BC. Nevertheless, it was over a millennium later when the first true port was operated, as a result of a privilege granted on 17 March 1491 by King Ferdinand the Catholic to a certain Valencian nobleman called Antoni Joan. As of that moment, the enthusiastic economic endeavours of the Valencians brought about flourishing trade through the local port, encouraging King Pedro III of Aragon to grant Valencia the right of maritime and commercial jurisdiction through the establishment of the so-called Consolat de Mar. In the second half of the 15th century, Valencia had a population of 75,000 and was the largest city on the Iberian Peninsula, and its port was of major importance to the Crown of Aragon, with shipping lines to ports in Italy, Western Europe and Northern Africa.

The beginnings of maritime commerce in Sagunto can be traced back to Iberian and Roman culture, as evidenced in archaeological findings from settlements in the area testifying to the importance of trade. The current port received an administrative authorisation on 11 August 1902 under which the mining company Compañía Minera de Sierra Menera was permitted to build a landing stage on the beach of Sagunto for loading minerals from its mines in Ojos Negros and Setiles, in the province of Teruel.

In the case of the Port of Gandía, a Royal Order of 1884 authorised one Sinibaldo Gutiérrez to build the first port installations on this part of the coast, and these rights were then acquired by the British firm “The Alcoi-Gandía Railway & Harbour Company Limited”, whose aim was, on the one hand, to import coal for textile industries operating in Alcoi, and on the other, to export products from the area to overseas markets.

In 1985, as a result of Royal Decree 2100, the ports of Sagunto and Gandía were integrated within the adminsitrative domain of the former Autonomous Port of Valencia, today called Valencia Port Authority.