Trincomalee Harbour is a seaport in Trincomalee Bay or Koddiyar Bay, fourth largest natural harbour in the world and situated on the northeastern coast of Sri Lanka.

Trincomalee Harbour
Naval ship at Trincomalee
Map
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Location
CountrySri Lanka
LocationTrincomalee
Coordinates08°34′01″N 81°13′52″E / 8.56694°N 81.23111°E / 8.56694; 81.23111
UN/LOCODELKTRR[1]
Details
OpenedPre-Independence
Land area5,261 hectares (13,000 acres)[2]
Statistics
Website
http://www.slpa.lk/

Located by Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, in the heart of the Indian Ocean, its strategic importance has shaped its history. There have been many sea battles to control the harbour. The Portuguese, Dutch, French, and the British have each held it in turn. In 1942 the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Trincomalee harbour and sank three British warships anchored there.

History

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Trincomalee Harbour, formerly a British naval base, was taken over by the Inaams Ceylonese government in 1956 to be developed as a commercial port. The base in Trincomalee was fitted out to perform slipway repairs for the Navy.[3]

The harbour is being developed for bulk, and break bulk, cargo and port-related industrial activities including heavy industries, tourism, agriculture, etc. At present SLPA is in the process to re-develop Trincomalee as a metropolis growth center.[3]

Geography

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The harbour, one of the largest natural harbours in the world, is overlooked by terraced highlands, and its entrance is guarded by two headlands.[4] The harbour has 1630 hectares of water, while the entrance channel is 500 metres wide.[2] The bay includes the first of a number submarine canyons, making Trincomalee one of the finest deep-sea harbours in the world.[5]

Port facilities and operation

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Trincomalee Harbour

The Port of Trincomalee works on a 24-hour basis. It is open every day of the year, except on May Day, when only daylight navigation is open.[2]

Port dimensions

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Water - 1,630 ha (4,000 acres)

Entrance channel - 500 m (1,600 ft)

Land Area - 5,261 ha (13,000 acres)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "UNLOCODE (LK) - SRI LANKA". service.unece.org. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Port of Trincomalee". Sri Lanka Port Authority. Retrieved 2012-01-19.
  3. ^ a b "Sri Lanka Navy - Trincomalee Harbor". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2015-10-25.
  4. ^ Saleem, Rishar (3 May 2013). "Trinco Harbour will be developed next – SLPA Chief". Ceylon Today. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015.
  5. ^ Stoddart, David (1996-12-26). Process and Form in Geomorphology. Routledge (UK). ISBN 0-415-10527-7.
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