Kingston Harbour, Natural port in Kingston, Jamaica.

Kingston Harbour is a natural port in Kingston with ample water space for vessels of different sizes. The facility contains several terminals for containers, bulk cargo, and petroleum products operated by different companies.

Europeans used the harbour from the start of their settlement of Jamaica, but the main town was Port Royal until an earthquake destroyed it on 7 June 1692; the English then founded Kingston and developed its waterfront. In November 1720 the body of pirate John Rackham was gibbeted at the harbour entrance as a warning. During the 18th and early 19th centuries it was the chief entrepôt for British exports to the Spanish colonies, and the Port Authority of Jamaica has managed it since 1972.

The harbour's name comes from Kingston, founded after the 1692 earthquake destroyed Port Royal. Fishing continues at Rockfort, Harbour View and Port Royal, where docks serve small boats. In November 1720 the body of pirate John Rackham was gibbeted at the harbour entrance as a warning to other pirates.

The harbour is best seen from the Palisadoes strip, which shelters it to the south and east, or from the waterfront of downtown Kingston to the north. Norman Manley International Airport sits on the Palisadoes in the outer harbour. Fishing docks at Harbour View and Port Royal give close views of working boats.

In November 1720 the body of pirate John Rackham, known as Calico Jack, was gibbeted at the harbour entrance beside members of his crew as a warning to other pirates. The narrow entrance was guarded by two forts, one at the tip of the Palisadoes at Port Royal and one on a small sand spit opposite.