History
During the period of the French Protectorate and earlier, Cambodia had no deep water port to facilitate international trade. The small port on the river at Phnom Penh was only able to handle ships of up to 3000 tons in the dry season and 4000 tons in the wet season. Kampot was Cambodia’s only ocean port and deep-water access was impossible due to the need to navigate the Tuk Chhou River to access the port. The French colonial administration preferred to use Saigon for international trade and thus Cambodia’s access to the ocean was via the Mekong and necessitated passage through Vietnamese territory. Independence from France for both Vietnam and Cambodia in 1953 highlighted the need for Cambodia’s own deep-water port.
A number of sites were initially considered for the new facility including – Kampot, the small outpost at Ream and Sre Ambel. However, the deep waters off a rocky promontory near Koh Pos in Kampong Som Bay were finally chosen as the site for Cambodia’s first ocean port.
Construction began in 1955 with $12 million in funding from the French government and was completed in late 1959. The port was inaugurated in April 1960 by Louis Jacquinot, the French Minister of State.
Read more about this topic: Sihanoukville Autonomous Port
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