Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port records increase in vessel calls in 2018 with 300 vessels calling with different requirements
The Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka’s southern region has reportedly seen a sharp increase in vessel calls in 2018 and the port’s business has also diversified from handling vehicles and cruise ships.
Traffic to the Hambantota International Port increased significantly during the last year, with 300 vessels calling with different service requirements, up 30 percent from 2017, a local media report stated.
Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) has said in a statement that it expects to see a “manifold increase in vessel traffic in the New Year, which would greatly increase the turnover of the port and in turn provide economic benefits to the Hambantota region.”
The local media report has noted that Hambantota port saw an increase in vessels docking at the port on the first week of the New Year and is currently handling a number of different activities, from ship to ship transfers to ship repairs and warm layups.
“Apart from the regular car transshipment vessels, there is a vessel requiring Ship to Ship transfer (STS) operations and a ship belonging to the Sri Lanka navy amongst the six vessels currently berthed in the harbor,” the statement has said.
“Whilst their volume of RORO (roll-on, roll-off) vessels handled had increased by 136 percent, the services provided by the port has pushed its activities, which were previously centered around RORO and passenger ship operations, to bulk, break-bulk, ship supply services, repairs and layups.”
According to reports, the varied services offered include a warm layup for drillship ‘Aban Abraham’ in port for a period of six months, a hot layup for oil tanker ‘Champion Express’, and a ship to ship transfer operation for mv ‘Orchid’.
Loading and unloading operations for RORO vessels ‘Glovis Siris’ and ‘Glovis Champion’ are also going on as well as a familiarization and operational requirement for the Sri Lankan naval vessel ‘Saurala.’
OSL take:
The increase in the number of vessels calling at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port indicates an overall development in the country’s ports and maritime sector. The Colombo Port has also recorded an increase in business last year when compared to previous years. The Sri Lankan government is in the process of building island as a hub in the Indian Ocean. Given the country’s geographical positioning Sri Lanka would be able to achieve hub status soon with the latest developments recorded by the country’s ports. Therefore, foreign businesses could look at setting up businesses in Sri Lanka given its geographical positioning as well as its developed ports and logistics businesses.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/16012019/Z_3 |