Galle Harbour is a

natural harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

, located in

Galle Galle ( si, ගාල්ල, translit=Gālla; ta, காலி, translit=Kāli) (formerly Point de Galle) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip, from Colombo. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of Southern ...

, on the south-western coast of Sri Lanka. Currently Galle port serves as one of the most active regional ports in the country. It is also the only Sri Lankan port that provides facilities for pleasure

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

s. International yacht societies have recognised Galle Harbour as one of the world's best attractions for yachting.

History

Galle Harbour was a major harbour in the country, which was in use even during the pre-Christian times, and gained importance after the 12th century. By the 14th century, Galle Harbour was the most important harbour in Sri Lanka, and retained its importance until 1873 when an artificial harbour was built in

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...

. After the construction of

Galle Fort Galle Fort ( si, ගාලු කොටුව ''Galu Kotuwa''; ta, காலிக் கோட்டை, translit=Kālik Kōṭṭai), in the Bay of Galle on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka, was built first in 1588 by the Portuguese, then ex ...

in the 17th century, Galle Port was a major port in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

for more than 200 years, which was an important anchorage for boats and ships traveling between

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

. When the British colonial government constructed breakwaters in

Colombo Harbour The Port of Colombo (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 i ...

in the late 19th century, much international marine traffic shifted to Colombo from Galle. Thereafter, Galle Port became a secondary port of the country, though it still handles some ships and boats.

Development project

The Sri Lanka Ports Authority has planned to develop the existing Port of Galle to accommodate the increasing demand for freight handling for Sri Lanka as well as an international regional destination. This is planned with the construction of a deep water passenger vessel terminal and breakwaters, dredging of entrance channel and basin, and other facilities at the port of Galle to contribute to the economic development of the country. Some of the facilities provided at Galle Port were damaged during the

2004 Indian Ocean tsunami An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...

. The proposed development also expects to provide a fully fledged yacht marina for the Galle Port to facilitate the calling yachts, as well as to attract more yachts. SLPA expects to provide berthing facilities to passenger vessels of in length and cargo vessels of in length which have a depth of and respectively with this project. This will be achieved by constructing breakwaters to cover the effects of waves in the Galle bay area.

Maritime Archaeology

Galle harbor is a popular site among the local and foreign maritime archeologists who are doing research about the ancient naval transportation. Many ship wrecks during the colonial rule of Portuguese, Dutch and English can be seen in the sites around the bay of Galle situated in close proximity to the Galle harbour. Notable ship wrecks in the area includes "The East Indiaman Avondster" (1659), the VOC shipwreck Hercules (1661), Dolfijn (1663), Barbesteijn (1735) and the Geinwens (1776). The marine archaeologists of the Maritime Archaeology Unit (MAU) of Central Cultural Fund (CCF) established in Galle has been conducting many archaeological explorations in the Galle harbour area. Sri Lanka's first underwater museum is also located at a depth of around in the Galle Harbour area providing a unique sightseeing experience for the marine archaeology enthusiasts. It was established by

Sri Lanka Navy ta, இலங்கை கடற்படை , image = Sri Lanka Naval Seal.png , image_size = 180px , caption = Emblem of Sri Lanka Navy , dates = , c ...

in June, 2020. The sculptures in this museum is expected to form an artificial coral reef over time, which would enhance the marine life of the Galle harbour area.First under water museum
DailyFT

References

External links

Galle Port
{{DEFAULTSORT:Galle Harbour Ports and harbours of Sri Lanka Transport in Galle Buildings and structures in Galle

History

Development project

Maritime Archaeology

See also

References

External links