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Colombo Port container handling capacity to be increased: Minister
The Ports, Shipping and Aviation Ministry is considering increasing the container handling capacity of the Colombo Port, said Ports, Shipping and Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva.
While addressing an event for the initiation of the construction work of the operations building at the East Container Terminal (ECT) of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), the minister said that the current 8.5 million TEU handling capacity at the Colombo Port will be increased to 35 million with the completion of the ECT, Jaya Container Terminal V (JCT-V), Western International Container Terminal (WICT), and the proposed North Port Projects in the future.
The construction of the ECT operations building commenced on March 8, 2023. The 1300-metre terminal will be built at a cost of USD 580 million. The gantry cranes required for operations at the terminal have already been ordered. The construction of the four-story main operations building at the terminal will cost Rs. 1,300 million and is planned to be completed by February next year.
Commenting further, he emphasized that the operations of the ECT should be carried out with semi-automation and with a minimum number of employees recruited for its operations.
"These opportunities should be made available to the skilled youth of this country. They should have the potential to achieve maximum productivity through elevated efficiency in the operational process, especially by utilizing the most advanced technologies for port and terminal operations. For this reason, everyone should well-identify the latest trends in the global commercial shipping industry, which runs in a very lucrative yet highly competitive business environment," he added. (Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama)
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