The island's original colony, Port Louis, was created by French settlers in an area on the east side of what is now St. George's Harbour. There were deepwater anchorages for oceangoing ships. Although Port Louis was abandoned in 1700 and Port Royal was established where St. George's is today, vessels continued to anchor in the eastern part of the harbour, near what is now the Lagoon. Everything changed in 1867 as a result of volcanic activity. Eruptions in the eastern harbour transformed the deep water into a shallow area just a few feet deep. From then on, the development of port facilities was focused on the western harbour.
This arrangement lasted just 16 years, however. In 1955 the pier was destroyed by Hurricane Janet and the cumbersome lighters returned to the port.
Down the years, there has always been motivation for developing the port and attracting commercial ship calls - and that is still the case today. As the island and its main port face a revitalized future, there is surely much more to come.