Port of Colombo

Port of Colombo
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Location
Country	Sri Lanka
Location	Colombo
Coordinates	06°57′10″N 79°50′41″E / 6.95278°N 79.84472°E / 6.95278; 79.84472
UN/LOCODE	LKCMB[1]
Details
Opened	Ancient
Owned by	Government of Sri Lanka
Type of harbour	Seaport
Size of harbour	terminal 8
Land area	4.8 km2 (1,200 acres)
Size	Large
No. of berths	51
No. of piers	27
Vision	Logistic Excellence in the Silk Route
Statistics
Annual cargo tonnage	72.9 million (2019)[citation needed]
Annual container volume	7.25 million (2021) [2] TEUs
Depth	18 m (59 ft)
Website http://www.slpa.lk/

The Port of Colombo Sinhala: කොළඹ වරාය, Tamil: கொழும்பு துறைமுகம் (known as Port of Kolomtota during the early 14th Century Kotte Kingdom) is the largest and busiest port in Sri Lanka and the Indian Ocean. Located in Colombo, on the southwestern shores on the Kelani River, it serves as an important terminal in Asia due to its strategic location in the Indian Ocean. During the 1980s, the port underwent rapid modernization with the installation of cranes, gantries and other modern-day terminal requirements.

Currently with a capacity of 7 million TEUs and a depth of over 18 m (59 ft),^[3] the Colombo Harbour is one of the busiest ports in the world, and ranks among the top 25 ports. It is also one of the biggest artificial harbours in the world handling most of the country's foreign trade.^[4] It has an annual cargo tonnage of 30.9 million tons.^[5] The port is also the naval base for Sri Lanka Navy Western Fleet under the Commander Western Naval Area (COMWEST).^{[citation needed]} The Port of Colombo is home to the second tallest building in South Asia and is the center for many commercial interests.