Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port, Commercial deep-water port in Hambantota, Sri Lanka
Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port is a commercial deep-water facility in southern Sri Lanka near the Indian Ocean. The site extends along several quays with terminals for containers, bulk goods and vehicles, plus wide storage areas behind the waterfront zones.
Construction work started in 2008 with Chinese financing and led to the official opening two years later as the country's second major seaport. In 2017, a 99-year lease agreement with China Merchants Port Holdings took effect, transferring 70 percent of operational control.
The harbor has transformed the old coastal village into a place with international teams and modern processing areas. Warehouses and canteens reflect the daily presence of sailors, dock workers and logistics teams from more than 20 countries.
The facility works around the clock with modern navigation systems and maintains a water depth of 17 meters to receive large ships. Visitor access requires prior approval since this is an active industrial site with strict safety rules.
The site sits near an important crossing point for shipping traffic between Europe and Asia, passed weekly by around 200 large container vessels within sight. Despite modern equipment, container handling volumes remain far below the originally planned capacity of several million units per year.
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