page_title: Port Klang
section_title: Under British rule
hierarchical_section_title: Port Klang / History / Under British rule
caption_attribution_description: English: Map of Port Swettenham And Vicinity, in Klang within the Malaysian state of Selangor in 1954.
context_page_description: Port Klang is a town and the main gateway by sea into Malaysia. Known during colonial times as Port Swettenham but renamed Port Klang in July 1972, it is the largest port in the country. It is located about 6 kilometres southwest of the town of Klang, and 38 kilometres southwest of Kuala Lumpur.
  Located in the District of Klang, it was the 11th busiest container port in the world. It was also the 17th busiest port in by total cargo tonnage handled in 2012 and the top location of aluminium stock for LME, the top metal exchange in the world.
context_section_description: Both Klang and Port Swettenham were already known as notoriously malaria prone localities with the port itself located on a mangrove swamp. Within two months of its opening, the port was closed due to an outbreak of malaria. Just a few years before, the British doctor Sir Ronald Ross proved in 1897 that malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes. Port Swettenham was the first colonial area to benefit from the discovery. Swamps were filled in, jungle cleared, and surface water diverted to destroy mosquito breeding grounds and combat further disruption to port operations. The threat of malaria was removed completely by the end of the exercise. Trade grew rapidly and two new berths were added by 1914 along with other port facilities. The Selangor Polo Club was founded in Port Swettenham in 1902 but it moved to Kuala Lumpur in 1911.
  Between World Wars I and II the port experienced much growth and expansion, peaking in 1940 when tonnage rose to 550,000 tonnes. During the Second World War allied aircraft were serviced by RAF Servicing Commandos at airfields in Port Swettenham. Its location is marked on a 1954 map by the United States Army. Much of the port's facilities that were damaged during the war were reconstructed. The port expanded to the south with permanent installations to handle more palm oil and latex, two increasingly important exports. Imports also grew tremendously and tonnage of cargo handled at the port far exceeded what was thought possible before the war.
caption: Map of Port Swettenham in 1954. This area is now known as Southpoint.
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