Sri Lanka’s Colombo Port records a 14.9 percent increase in container volumes handled at the port
Container volumes at the Colombo Port in Sri Lanka have reportedly increased by 14.9 percent to 5,223,292 twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs). According to the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), the latest statistics reveal a growth at the Colombo Port as one of the fastest rates seen among major ports in the world.
Broad based growth has been seen in all terminals in Colombo, Sri Lanka Ports Authority said with its own terminal growing at the fastest pace, the local media has reported.
SLPA’s Jaya container terminal (JCT), which cannot handle ‘mega ships’ has reportedly seen a growth of its transshipment volumes by 23.3 percent to 1,445,425 TEUS.
South Asia Gateway Terminals had grown 16.5 percent and Colombo International Container Terminals grew 13.2 percent.
Total transshipment volumes grew 19.4 percent to 4,206,630 TEUs, up from 3,522,521 TEUs a year earlier.
In 2017 Colombo Port had handled 6.2 million containers. SLPA said it expects to handle 7 million containers in 2018.
According to the SLPA, Ports Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe and Chairman Parakrama Dissanayake had launched a three year programme to boost performance of the port
OSL take:
The Colombo Port in Sri Lanka has been recording impressive growth rates in the past few months. The Sri Lankan government is in the process of transforming Sri Lanka in to a maritime hub in the Indian Ocean and the current growth rates indicate that the country is nearing the target. Sri Lanka therefore is fast becoming an attractive business destination in the Indian Ocean region. Foreign businesses/investors could explore investment opportunities in Sri Lanka.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20181112/Z_3 |