| 1528 | Arendal mentioned for the first time in Dutch customs papers. |
| 1610 | Arendal became a hub where merchant citizens had the right to trade with foreign countries. |
| 1641 | King Christan IV founded Kristiansand as a market town in 1641 and demanded that all citizens of Agder should move to Kristiansand. The Arendalites refused. |
| 1723 | Arendal becomes a market town. The citizens of Kjøpstaden had exclusive rights to trade with foreign countries, all trade from the surrounding area was channeled via Kjøpstaden. This year is considered the foundation of Arendal town. |
| 1740 | Port of Arendal got its first harbor master. |
| 1807 | Arendal grew into Norway’s second largest maritime city after Bergen with 11 percent of the country's trade tonnage. |
| 1819 | People in Arendal had a special experience: a steamship, «Savannah» visited the town. This was the first time a steamship called in Europe and a Norwegian port. |
| 1849 | The Navigation Act of England and the Colonies was repealed. This gave the shipping industry in Arendal a boost. Arendal's large fleet of large and relatively new sailing ships could now transport goods to England and the colonies. |
| 1884 | In 1884, Arendal was Norway's foremost maritime town with approx. 500 ships of a total of 210,000 tonnes (13% of the country's tonnage). In 1886 the banking system in the city collapsed and the downturn was brutal. |
| 1940 | Arendal had the country's 4th largest tanker fleet; only Oslo, Bergen and Stavanger were larger. On 9 April 1940, Arendal was occupied by German forces who met no resistance. |
| 1970 | From 1970 until 2000, port traffic in Arendal decreased. The port was outcompeted by other ports and had limited area and quays to be able to operate efficiently. |
| 1984 | Before 1984, Port of Arendal was owned by the state. In 1984, the state transferred the ports to the municipalities and created a separate Ports and Waters Act. Port of Arendal was established as a municipal enterprise, wholly owned by Arendal municipality. Port of Arendal had its operations in the center of the city, with the loading and unloading of ships. |
| 2008 | 2008 brought about a major change in port operations in Arendal. Industry and traffic of the port was moved from the center to Eydehavn. The Eydehavn industrial site with more than 100 years of industrial history had good natural conditions for an industrialized port. |
| Today | Port of Arendal has had a large increase in cargo and a significant increase in turnover every year since 2008. The port operation is commercial and the port receives no support or subsidies for its operation, but is an important player in ensuring competitive logistics for the business world. Port of Arendal has been a decisive factor in getting Morrow batteries established in Arendal. |