The total length of the quays is 863 m, and the maximum depth is 13.5 m.[3] The port of Praia played an important role in the colonization of Africa and South America by the Portuguese.

With 817,845 metric tonnes of cargo and 85,518 passengers handled (2017),[2] it is the second busiest port of Cape Verde, after Porto Grande (Mindelo).

[6] The naval battle of Porto Praya, part of the Anglo-French War of 1778-83, took place on April 16, 1781 inside the harbor.

A new wooden pier was built in 1880 near the customs house, which is now the National Archives of Cape Verde Building, south of the Plateau.

In the beginning of the 1960s new port facilities were constructed on the east side of the bay, 1 km southeast of the city centre.