| History |
The city of Colombo derives its name from “Kolomtota” (Colombo harbour), which dates back to the 14th century Kingdom of Kotte. “Kolomtota” was the first port used by merchants from China, India and Persia who came through the silk road to trade island's famous spices.
A 443-year long period of foreign occupancy prevailed in Ceylon when the Portuguese fleet sailed into the harbour in 1505. The Dutch gained the control in 1656 followed by British in 1796 who upgraded and converted to a sheltered harbour during the latter part of their Ruling.
After independence in 1948, the Port was expanded with the construction of the Queen Elizabeth Quay with 16 alongside berths, transit sheds, and warehouses. The harbour underwent a major transformation to handle containerized cargo in early 1980s with Cranes, Gantries and other staples of a contemporary container terminal followed by deepening the access channel in the 1990s. The strategic location of the port of Colombo amidst trade routes became more attractive to main line shipping than any other port in the region.
Today the Port of Colombo is rated among the top 30 container ports in the world. |
|
