The Port of Kismayo, also known as the Kismayo Port, is the official

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

Kismayo Kismayo ( so, Kismaayo, Maay: ''Kismanyy'', ar, كيسمايو, ; it, Chisimaio) is a port city in the southern Lower Juba (Jubbada Hoose) province of Somalia. It is the commercial capital of the autonomous Jubaland region. The city is situa ...

, situated in southern

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

. It is classified as a major class port. It has a harbour as well as a pier which juts into the Somali Sea.

Roots

The natural anchorage in the vicinity of Kismayo possibly corresponds with the ancient emporium of Nikon, mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea by Arrian of the 1st century CE. The term Kismayo itself is a compound portmanteau derived from the Somali terms ''kis'' meaning ''somewhat small'' and ''mayo'' meaning ''not''.

Overview

Kismayo's large docks are situated on a peninsula on the Somali Sea coast. Formerly one of the

Bajuni Islands The Bajuni Islands ( it, Isole Giuba, also known as the Bajun Islands or Baajun Islands) are an archipelago in southern Somalia. They are situated in the Somali sea in the southern coast of Jubaland, from Kismayo to Ras Kiyamboni (not to be confuse ...

, the peninsula was subsequently connected by a narrow causeway when the modern Port of Kismayo was built in 1964 with U.S. assistance. In 1966 the CIA's ''Intelligence Handbook for Special Operations - Somali Republic'' described the port as mainly an outlet for bananas and other agricultural produce. Only vessels of "very shallow draft" could be accommodated; deep-water ships had to be served by

lighter A lighter is a portable device which creates a flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of items, such as cigarettes, gas lighter, fireworks, candles or campfires. It consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable liquid or ...

s in the open roadstead. Four protected berths to serve 10,000 ton vessels with drafts of up to 31 feet were part of a port expansion programme. A power plant, water system, and handling equipment were to be constructed by 1967. The port served as a base for the

Somali Navy The Somali Navy ( so, Ciidamada Badda Soomaaliyeed, ar, القوات البحرية الصومالية ''Al-Quwwat al-Bahriyah as-Sumaliyah'') is the naval warfare service branch of the Somali Armed Forces. During the post-independence period, t ...

as well as the Soviet Navy after the military coup in Somalia in 1969.UPI
U.S. Will Spend $38.6 Million To Refurbish Port in Somalia
September 20, 1984 Somalia and the United States jointly refurbished the port in 1984 after significant wear to the four-berth, marginal wharf at the harbor required major renovations to maintain operations.R. Lee Hadden, Topographic Engineering Center,

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

,
The Geology of Somalia: a Selected Bibliography of Somalian Geology, Geography and Earth Science
February 2007 The Port of Kismayo was officially brought under the Juba Interim Administration in August 2013. Per agreement, management of the facility was scheduled to be transferred to the Somali Federal Government after a period of six months. Revenues and resources generated from the seaport will, like the Kismayo airport, be earmarked for Jubaland's service delivery and security sectors as well as local institutional development.

References

{{Ports in Somalia

Kismayo

Roots

Overview

See also

References