Port Réunion, Maritime port in Le Port, Réunion Island, France.
Port Réunion is the main harbor of Réunion Island and comprises two separate harbor zones located about 3 kilometers apart. The facility handles container cargo, fishing vessels, cruise ships, and military operations across its western and eastern areas.
Construction of Port Ouest began in 1878 and it was delivered in 1886, four years after the port of Saint-Pierre in the south of the island. A steamship link with Marseille opened in 1925. New quays were built in 1969, and during his term as Prime Minister (1976-1981) Raymond Barre, of Réunionnais descent, decided to create a second basin, now called Port Est.
The port's name comes from Pointe des Galets, the rocky point at Le Port where it was built. Pleasure craft and fishing boats are concentrated in Port Ouest, while container ships use Port Est. The naval base hosts the Floréal and Nivôse, and since 2025 the patrol boat Auguste Techer.
The port lies in the Plaine des Galets in the north-west of the island, within the commune of Le Port. Boating and fishing concentrate in Port Ouest, while container traffic goes through Port Est, where ships of 6,500 to 7,500 TEU normally call. The naval base hosts the frigates Floréal and Nivôse and the patrol vessels Auguste Techer and Félix Éboué.
The harbor is connected to South Africa via the METISS submarine fiber optic cable, a communication network stretching approximately 3,200 kilometers across the seafloor. This hidden infrastructure quietly supports telecommunications and data exchange across the broader region.
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