Abstract:
Ambon has an important role in the world of Asian trade. The transportation of nutmeg to and from the Banda Islands was carried out by Chinese, Arab, Indian and Persian traders causing the creation of Ambon as a transit port playing an important role in the world trade of cloves and nutmeg. This port has shown its existence since the presence of the Portuguese and then continued by the Dutch. The VOC used the waters of the Ambon Bay as a center for consolidating its fleet of ships to launch wars against the people of Ternate, Ambon and Banda. This study aims to determine the dynamics of the history of the port of Ambon in 1605-1942. The method uses history by collecting data carefully, criticizing, interpreting and compiling historical events into stories. The results of the study show that the port of Ambon began to exist as a strategic maritime area when the Portuguese and Dutch arrived. After the collapse of the VOC and the British had controlled power in the archipelago, the port of Ambon in 1810 was used as a port open to foreign ships. But this did not last long, because during the reign of the colonial government in 1816, it again became a closed port. During the colonial era the construction began. The port wharf was immediately built in 1817 to 1865, then the process of repairing facilities was continued in 1917. After the construction of the wharf and the establishment of the KPM shipping company, the visits of ships at the port continued to increase.
