SLPA assures Lankan sea ports safe from dangerous cargo and handled in line with UN regulations
The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) has given a public assurance to the business community and the general public that all sea ports in the country were safe from dangerous cargo as they are handled according to the UN regulations.
SLPA Chairman, Retired Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, General Daya Ratnayake has made this observation in the aftermath of the explosion at the Beirut sea port in Lebanon last week.
The state owned Daily News has also reported that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had telephoned the SLPA Chief last week and had requested the latter to take a fresh stock of the situation and to rectify any shortcomings if there were any.
The SLPA Chief had also held a meeting with SLPA officials, Customs officials the four Terminal Operators, Jaya Container Terminal (JCT), South Asia Gateway Terminals (SAGT) which operates the Queen Elizabeth Quay and Colombo International Container Terminals which operates the Colombo Terminal of the Colombo South Port.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka is fast reaching a maritime hub status in the Indian Ocean. The island’s geographical positioning in the Indian Ocean and the continuously increasing trans shipment at the Colombo Port have increased the business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s maritime industry. The high standards maintained by local ports are an added advantage for the maritime industry. All these have attributed to Sri Lanka being included as a strategic point in China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Given the growth potential of Sri Lanka’s maritime sector, foreign businesses/investors could explore business/investment opportunities in the sector.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/17082020/Z_1 |