Ream Naval Base

Ream Naval Base is the principal installation of the Royal Cambodian Navy, situated on a peninsula on the Gulf of Thailand coast southeast of Krong Preah Sihanouk, the capital of Sihanoukville province. The site covers roughly 190 acres. Command is held by Rear Admiral Ouk Seyha, deputy commander of the Royal Cambodian Navy.

The base supports patrol and surveillance of the Cambodian coastline and the approaches to the port of Sihanoukville (Kompong Som). Following the completion of Chinese-funded works, analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies assess that about half of the port facilities are allocated for Cambodian and Chinese use, with the remainder available to other navies. In July 2019 United States officials described an agreement granting the People's Liberation Army Navy exclusive access to approximately one-third of the base for up to 30 years; Cambodian authorities denied its existence, stating that the base is Cambodian and that any foreign military presence there is rotational rather than permanent, in accordance with the constitution. The Cambodian defence ministry acknowledged in 2021 that China was assisting with infrastructure construction at the site.

Dredging around the base to allow the berthing of larger vessels began under a Chinese-supported project executed by the China Metallurgical Group Corporation, confirmed by Vice-Admiral Vann Bunlieng in October 2020. Chinese clamshell dredgers and associated construction were observed near the base in January 2022. One of two United States-funded buildings on the base was demolished in September 2020. The Chinese-funded expansion was completed in April 2025 with the opening of a joint training centre, inaugurated in the presence of Prime Minister Hun Manet, Chinese ambassador Wang Wenbin and Cao Qingfeng, deputy chief of staff of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission. The base formally reopened after renovation on 5 April 2025.

The installation was in poor condition in 1970, with a single pier in bad repair, no functioning logistics system and minimal internal repair capacity. Between 1970 and 1974 the Khmer National Navy, with the Lon Nol government and the British Royal Navy, rebuilt the base: 20 radar-equipped Swift Boats were procured, heavy craft were overhauled, a floating drydock was acquired, the Ream Repair Facility was re-equipped, a supply support system was installed and a modern pier and support complex completed, allowing the Khmer National Navy to take over coastal patrol duties previously contracted to the South Vietnamese Navy. Planned electricity generation and larger patrol craft were not delivered before 1975. The base was modernised again after 1979 under the present government and its allies.