Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port receives its first vessel lay-up with a drill ship mooring at the port for six months
The Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka has reportedly stated that it has attracted the first vessel for lay-up with a drillship that is to be moored at the port for a period of six months.The vessel is to be supervised by a unit of Colombo-based Hayleys Advantis.
A drillship named Aban Abraham was reportedly berthed last week at Hambantota for a six-month warm lay-up.
Under Sri Lanka’s flag requirements a minimum crew will be on board, a statement noted. Hambantota is run by Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG), a joint venture with China’s CM Port group.
“We leveraged heavily on the global marine network access of CM Port and were supported by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, to make this operation a reality,” Chief Operating Office of HIPG Tissa Wickramasinghe has observed in a statement.
Wickramasinghe has said the HIPG’s marketing team had competed with established ports in the region to win the deal.
“The market is well aware of more established ports and the fact that the Hambantota International Port was chosen despite this, clearly proves that we are benchmarking international standards,” he has said.
“The hard work put in by the HIP team has paid off and we are now well positioned as a multipurpose port.”
According to the statement, under a warm lay-up, a minimum crew will keep equipment running from time to time, or prepare for other work, so that it can be decommissioned quickly.
The vessel will be under the supervision of Martime Agencies (Pvt) Ltd. and Hayleys Energy Services Ltd, which are units of Sri Lanka’s Hayleys Advantis logistic group.
OSL take:
The Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka is currently on a growth path and the vessel lay up for a period of six months would add to the recognition and development of the port. The location of an industrial park within the port premises would undoubtedly make the Hambantota Port one of the key ports of call in the Indian Ocean region in the near future. Therefore, foreign shipping lines could look at possibilities of calling at the Hambantota Port, which is in close proximity to the international shipping route. On the other hand, foreign businesses could also explore possibilities of setting up industrial plants in the Hambantota industrial zone due to the convenience in addressing logistical issues.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20181226/Z_1 |