Cambodia’s Sihanoukville Port is located in Preah Sihanouk Province in southwestern Cambodia. As the country’s largest seaport, development of the port began in 1955, and Japanese cooperation began in 1996. In May 2026, a ceremony was held at the Sihanoukville Port to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Japan’s cooperation.
Japan’s Cooperation with Cambodia Supported Maritime Logistics after the Civil War
The development of Sihanoukville Port began in 1955 with French assistance, but due to the civil war, the development was suspended in 1969, and remained stagnant for a long period of time until Japan began to cooperate.
When the civil war ended in 1991 and the country began its reconstruction, the Port of Sihanoukville was positioned as an important social infrastructure to support Cambodia’s economic recovery, and full-scale handling of containerized cargo began. At the time, however, the port did not yet have a dedicated container wharf, and container cargo handling was conducted at a pier that handled general cargo, making operations inefficient. Against this backdrop, the Cambodian government requested the Japanese government’s cooperation in 1994, and following a preliminary study in 1995, a “Sihanoukville Port Development Plan Study” was conducted from 1996 to 1997, and a master plan for port development was formulated. The Master Plan was then developed and a roadmap for the modernization of port logistics was laid out.
A photo of the old port that still hangs in the offices of the Sihanoukville Port Authority.
Increase in cargo handling volume and development of container terminals by JICA
Based on the survey results, the “Sihanoukville Port Emergency Rehabilitation Project” and “Sihanoukville Port Emergency Expansion Project” were implemented from 1999 to 2009. As a result, the construction of a container terminal and the introduction of cranes and other cargo handling equipment were carried out in stages. As a result, the Port of Sihanoukville was able to respond to the rapidly increasing cargo demand, and the annual container handling volume, which was 4,154 TEU(*) in 1992, increased significantly to 392,000 TEU in 2015.
In addition, in order to further increase the handling capacity in response to the global development of containerization, the new container terminal expansion project and the Sihanoukville Port New Container Terminal Expansion Project have been continuously underway since 2017 to date to add new container terminals and equipment to the The project has been ongoing since then.
(Note) A unit of cargo volume; 1 TEU is equivalent to one 20-foot (6-meter) container.
Sihanoukville Port with a large cargo ship and a large number of containers_Part 1
Supporting Cambodia’s economic growth and symbol of friendly relations between Japan and Cambodia
Through the past projects, Sihanoukville Port has become Cambodia’s only large deep-water port (Note 1) and one of the most important key infrastructures supporting economic growth. The rapid growth of Cambodia’s economy since the 2010s (Note 2) has been greatly supported by the development of the port with Japanese assistance.
With demand expected to further increase in the future, JICA continues to work on container terminal development and operational capacity enhancement. In addition, JICA is expected to contribute to further economic development by strengthening cooperation with land transportation through future-oriented master plan cooperation.
Thus, the port is not only an extremely important logistics hub for Cambodia, but also a symbol of the friendly relationship between the two countries. The Labor Day ceremony is held at the port every year on May 1 to honor workers, and Japanese officials are also invited, making the port a place to celebrate the development of bilateral relations.
(Note 1) A depth of at least 15-20m is required in ports where large vessels can directly enter the port.
(Note 2) Average GDP growth rate of 5.3% from 2016 to 2025
Sihanoukville Port with a large cargo ship and a large number of containers_Part 2
Ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of Japan’s cooperation with the Port of Sihanoukville
The ceremony held on May 1, 2026, in conjunction with Labor Day, celebrated the 30th anniversary of Japan’s cooperation with Sihanoukville Port. The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister and other government officials, JICA Vice President Katsura Miyazaki, and approximately 2,300 people involved in the port industry.
The flags of both Cambodia and Japan were hoisted at the event, and many participants shared their appreciation of the technical support for infrastructure development and port operations that has been accumulated over a long period of time. Prime Minister Hun Manet reiterated his gratitude for Japan’s support over the years and expressed his hope for continued support in the future.
Ceremony site with flags of both countries flying
The ceremony began with a performance of the national anthems of both countries. Center left: Atsushi Ueno, Ambassador of Japan to Cambodia Center right: Hun Manet, Prime Minister of Cambodia
© Source JICA